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Inside the Middle East
January 12, 2009
Posted: 1440 GMT

It's the last news conference of his presidency and the U.S. President said that a "sustainable ceasefire" in gaza would only be accomplished when "Hamas stops firing rockets into Israel."

Bush said that the "choice is Hamas's to make." He also stated that the best way to get a sustainable cease-fire is to "work with Egypt to stop the smuggling of arms into... Gaza.

"Countries that supply weapons to Hamas have got to stop," Bush said.

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Filed under: Gaza • Israel


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ben   January 12th, 2009 1451 GMT

What a stupid person this guy is, i think americans should stop this guy appearing in tv's.

not to be accused of stupidity, if this is your elected by you president then he should be the most learned and wise person, then how about the ordinary citizen IQ.

ben   January 12th, 2009 1455 GMT

AS IF HE IS SAYING MILK THAT BULL......STUPID

txkboy   January 12th, 2009 1458 GMT

Once again, Bush is late to the ballgame. The UN has no credibility. You see how much Hamas and Israel headed the UN Security Council mandate. NADA. But, alas, there has to be peace. Without it, innocents die; on both sides. Having said that, you have to have both sides man-up and speak to each other. Even if it's brokered through Egypt or some other nation.

ben   January 12th, 2009 1505 GMT

I DON'T KNOW HOW HIS POOR FAMILY KEEPS WITH HIM .....IT MUST BE DIFFICULT .....WHY THE 20TH OF JAN KEEPS DRAGING ANYWAY.
AND YOU WILL BE NOT FAVOURED BY HISTORY BECAUSE MR. OBAMA IS COMING TO ZIMBABWEAN USA....HE SHOULD TAKE LESSONS FROM HIS BROTHER ROBERT MUGABE.....WE WILL SOON SEE 10BILLION USD BILL TO BUY YOU A DONUT.
I ADVICE ALL PEOPLE TO CONVERT THEIR USD BILLS INTO EUROS OR LOCAL CURRENCIES.

ben   January 12th, 2009 1508 GMT

US BROKERED PEACE MY ASS....THATS A GOODBYE KISS MR.PRESIDENT

barry   January 12th, 2009 1518 GMT

Is Hamas going to take ceasefire as an option !

Not at all "THE SHAEED" (martyr) is more important

Bill Carlson   January 12th, 2009 1519 GMT

I applaud Pres. Bush's comments about the conflict in Gaza.

As I see the situation, it is simple:
1. Hamas is a government.
2. Hamas has been shooting rockets at Israel.
3. If Hamas want to protect its civilians, it can either
a. Surrender, and promise to never again attack Israel.
b. Move its "army" away from populated areas, and fight the Israelis in the open.
4. If the Gaza civilians want to save themselves, all they have to do is to get rid of Hamas.

side lines   January 12th, 2009 1522 GMT

Isn’t this one amazingly arrogant situation? Israel starves and kills Palestinians and then turns around and blames them for their suffering.
Israel has been denying Palestinians in Gaza food, fuel, medicine, electricity and other necessities of life since a June 2007 blockade. Now, after over a year of making them suffer, it has killed over 900 people and injured more than 3,700.
This is all courtesy of OUR tax dollars, which pay for Israel’s F-18s, helicopters, ships and missiles. REALLY, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, JEWS CRUCIFIED CHRIST AND WE REWARD THEM WITH 15 MILLION DOLLARS A DAY FOR ILLEGAL OCCUPATION AND WAR.
Moreover, Israel wants to hide the reality of the murders and carnage by refusing to allow world media access to the area so that they can report on the crisis. Perhaps the self-described “only democracy in the Middle East” has forgotten that freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democracy itself

Segun Oje ( Nigeria)   January 12th, 2009 1526 GMT

Whoever‘s supplying weapons to Hamas does not have the love of Palestinians at heart. Hamas should have known better though. The battle with Israel cannot be won with rockets and guns. Both Islam and Judaism forbid violence and bloodshed. The situation in Gaza is terrifying; women and children are killed or maimed everyday. My heart goes to them.

brandon360   January 12th, 2009 1529 GMT

go idf, finish the fight

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 1532 GMT

Bill Carlson.

it is simple on the other side too

1 Israel is an occupier.
2 Israel must leave occupied territories.
3Israel must stop killings targeting civilians mostly children.
4 Israel must stop the blockade.
5 Hamas is not an army it is resistance.

6 know what you are talking about before posting.

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 1536 GMT

Palestinian resistance will never be defeated Israel tried for Sixty years.

to stop resistance stop Israeli occupation
very simple

side lines   January 12th, 2009 1539 GMT

An orthodox jewish rabbi says openly that jews are meant to be in exile by God. Yisroel Weiss is a member of jews united against zionism. He admitts that Israel is an illegal state.

aedi   January 12th, 2009 1540 GMT

this is not about peace, this is about zionist wet dreams "nearing its objective" which is exporting violence against jews around the world so they can collect more in Israel land and keep growing.

I'm sorry, but this "Cast Lead" operation just made things worse for jews inside and outside Israel. It's a f-a-c-t. Israel government is trying to force jews around live under plebiscite (in the worst of its meanings)

side lines   January 12th, 2009 1546 GMT

see for yourself how we Americans are brainwashed to feel sympathy for Israel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsNqJ4MDNcM

http://www.ifamericansknew.org

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 1548 GMT

I thought the British removed the Mandate of Palestine and the UN made Israel a country again at that time. It's a country. There are Arab countries too.

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 1554 GMT

side lines – on the world wide web are all sorts of views and opinions. Everyone has one about everything. Think for yourself is my advice. Blaming and rehashing old hurts isn't the solution for the poor people of Gaza. Having Hamas stop firing at Israel and world monitors go in, for a long time, to make sure the people of Gaza and Israel have is peace is a possible solution.

side lines   January 12th, 2009 1554 GMT

See your tax dollars at work. If we stop the support of state sponsored terrorrism, we can save 10 billion dollars amonth to save our own ailing economy. its a billion with a big B

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 1556 GMT

GLeigh.

1 Britain does not own Palestine to give it to the Jews.
2 Israel is the only country in the world that was created by the UN.
3 this is the same UN that Israel is Ignoring.
4 the Palestinians want back the 22% that Israel occupied in 1967.
5 the other 78% is 28% more than the UN gave to Israel in 1948.

think about what I wrote for few minutes and then tell me who is the problem here.

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 1557 GMT

side lines – if Israel had no way to defend itself, it would another Darfur. Mass killing, hundreds of thousands of people butchered. How do put a price tag on that? Neither Israel or Gaza is perfect. Neither are the countries giving Hamas weapons. The best we can hope for is peace and outsiders to keep it.

Andrew   January 12th, 2009 1601 GMT

I wonder if the Jewish people and the Israeli supporters have read the real story of the Warwaw Ghetto and what the International response was at that time?

Does anyone see the difference with what is happening in the Gaza Strip?

If there are no differences, where is the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal?

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 1603 GMT

Solomon – from what I've read, the people of Israel were being shot at back then too. I don't know why they took this land or what belongs to who. I think that is why outsiders, unbiased world leaders, need to take the lead here and monitor and mediate. I think the people of Gaza should be left alone to raise their children, work, support themselves, and learn to like their neighbors. Israel should have the same rights. I think it will take unbiased teams to assure this happens.

nicholas g   January 12th, 2009 1604 GMT

the only good thing to have come from this conflict is the 'spotlight' is shining once again on the palestinian conflict. hopefully this time around something will be done to end 60 years of injustice for the palestinian. the israelis have for 60 years successfully made the victim the aggressor. the palestinians[david] are defending themselves with stick and stones compared to the israeli[goliath] arms. people have a right to defend themselves from illegal occupation,illegal settlements,illegal policies design to drive the them from their homeland, illegal house demolition, illegal detention with no charge and the brutal assaults and murders by the settlers. israel has defied the UN ,when it passed resolution to address the above crimes, more than any country worldwide. the arabs haven't even come close to the terrorism inflicted on them by israel.

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 1607 GMT

There are radicals who only want Hamas to kill, despite the cost to the civilian people of Gaza. I only want peace, for both sides. Death and destruction should not be life goals. I have errands to do. I hope for all of you, the peace to do your errands without being hit by a rocket and for your children to worry about the dance after school, not how to fire a gun or blow up a bomb. Have a good Monday.

anwar   January 12th, 2009 1613 GMT

Bush, a failure to the very end.
1-Afghanistan
2-Iraq
3-Lebanon
4-Georgia
5-Gaza..

all he's done is engender worldwide hatred for America for one more generation and drag Israeli leaders to share his failures.

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 1616 GMT

"Solomon – from what I’ve read, the people of Israel were being shot at back then too"

GLeigh.

"at the time of the British mandate there was no Israel how can they shoot at something that is not there."

in 1947 the Jews owned less than 6% of Palestine the other 94% is owned by Muslim and Christian Palestinians.

the Same UN that created Israel passed over 65 resolutions asking Israel to leave the occupied territories of the west bank and Gaza.

again tell me who is the problem.

If you are a Palestinian what would you do?

aedi   January 12th, 2009 1619 GMT

Minister Tzipi Livni: "The Law of Return grants the right of immigration to Israel to Jews, their children, their grandchildren and their partners. The proof needed is usually based upon marriage and being part of a Jewish community" (end of quote) http://info.jpost.com/C004/QandA/qa.livni.html
and recieve $20.000 USD tax money.
good deal but not enough, let's buy some rage against "us" around the world 'cause of evil fireworks

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 1620 GMT

If I were a Palestinian – I would beg for world monitors and mediators and would have agreed to the "two state" solution that was offered long ago. If I were one now, I would hope that the war stops so my kids would be safe. I'd hope the shooting stops, on both sides, and mediators and monitors come and in and a "two state" solution is enforced some way. I do have my errands and jobs to do. I will tell you one insite that I've had over the years. Planet Earth is a very tough place to exist, for anyone. War makes it harder. We are not the only beings in the universe. Trust me. Take that as you will. You can kill and blow each other up and never agree to peace. Misery has always existed so why not another 60 years of it.

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 1626 GMT

GLeigh.
this offer of a Palestinian state is a lie it was not offered.

I will explain this in a simple way they were offered Bantustans not a state .

it is like giving you your house but stilll they own your living room and your Kitchen.
would you accept a house like that?

Akiva   January 12th, 2009 1626 GMT

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NstZutNNliI
bush only wanna kill americans and let them suffer for nothing

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 1638 GMT

No Solomon, I wouldn't. It's not fair. How does Gaza get fairness? I don't know. Shooting rockets isn't the answer, only makes things worse. The world powers should step in – not Arab, Jewish, or American ones, but neutral ones. I know the destruction and death in Gaza are horrific. I know it's horrific in Darfur too. Fair Solutions need to be found. People are just people and should be allowed to live out their seventy brief years in some happiness and peace.

Friday I turned 50. This a.m. I went to spit out toothpaste and sneezed and now my back is knotting up for the first time. Two hours ago, I needed to go to the Post Office. I think that I can now. I can understand the bitterness and hate. To continue it is only misery. I don't know what God calls himself, if anything. Maybe he has many names. I might be wrong. Killing in his name, which we Christians have done during the crusades, is not a good thing.

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 1642 GMT

GLeigh. happy birthday.

it is not about Gaza it is about the Palestinian people .
I have explained to you that Israel should end the occupation and after that there will not be Hamas to shoot rockets.

it is simple.

thank you and have a nice day.

Akiva   January 12th, 2009 1647 GMT

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wY-lePRwBxc
israel is great!
all israelians ... be proud
be proud !

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 1657 GMT

Thanks Solomon. I do think the country of Israel is a country. I think the Jewish people need a place to live. I heard on TV the Jewish religion is now six thousand years old. That's pretty old. There are Arab countries. They have the right to exist also. You feel differently about Israel. I can't change your views or mine. So we'll struggle along, there will be wars, and the children involved will be in wars and on and on. I wish there was a peaceful solution. I don't think there is one. Yep, think I can drive. Talk to you another day.

Akiva   January 12th, 2009 1657 GMT

what you have done to the hamas?
did you hit them?
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FRCaJih5prY
or did you only civilians?
let us listen what the jews say?
this war was very usefull!
now you have more hamas
and now you have more enemies then only hamas
great this peace!

David Gershon   January 12th, 2009 1657 GMT

What is unfair and immoral of CNN is your reporting on happenings inside Gaza as given to you by unreliable sources and certainly many staged pictures. You present these as facts without any verification! Where is your professional integrity? The unfortunate faith of civilians there is exaggerated as most of these "civilians" are Hamas terrorists. Thus even the numbers are not really verified by you and certainly not the high proprtion of terrorists among them. Control your sensationalism and show more integrity!

side lines   January 12th, 2009 1659 GMT

Americans encourage Americans to read books, conduct their own research. Read Paul Findleys "They dare to speak" and "Silent no more'.
Find out why and how Rachel Corrie was killed. Why Alison Weir is getting death threats.
http://alisonweir.org/
Stop living pay check to paycheck. Speak up agianst spending our hard earned money on unjust & unwanted wars.

Fawad Ali   January 12th, 2009 1659 GMT


ben,

About Your first comment, totally agree ......but you know what? That was his final appearance........we have endured eight years of stupidity, that's amazing

Fawad Ali   January 12th, 2009 1700 GMT

hey Solomon, nice seeing you again........

Fawad Ali   January 12th, 2009 1704 GMT

Akiva,

It's just a metaphor they use when they like killing innocent Palestinians 'we are fighting Hamas'

Akiva   January 12th, 2009 1709 GMT

CNN why you lie at us?????????

white phosphours is not ilegal????

yes its not ilegal ... but if it is used against cevilians ... in a area with civil population ... then its very illegal!!!

dont lie at us!!!

abib   January 12th, 2009 1710 GMT

as we continue to see that ignorance and brainwashing is a part of our current situation with in the middle east , I am appalled to see that the on going violence and deaths are being used as a vehicle to spread hate speech and lies.

one of the bloggers have said the media is a vehicle of freedom
then why do they corrupt the truth and don’t bring the facts to the table ?
just today Israel has found a stock pile of weapon, katushas ,not in a militants home, not even in a civilians home but in a mosque a sanctuary for all Muslims , but thee has been no mention on CNN or BBC or any other meager free speaking news agency's why? storing weapons in a place of worship is a fundamental breach of the laws of the Hague convention in 1954 .
Israel is not an occupier , they have pulled all settlements out of Gaza and are not in any way situated with in the so called Gaza boarders .
occupier ,occupier just some catch fraises that the spin doctors have made up to make the true heartfelt world Listen with their emotions and not their brains .why don't we just call the Israelis what they are ,the infidels.

and lastly how many katusha rockets have been shot from Gaza raining down terror on the civilian population of Israel giving millions of Israelis 15 seconds to drop what they are doing and scramble to the nearest bomb shelters , hopping that their children have made it in time to the schools bomb shelters as those are the Hamas hot spots and most celebrated targets . When will the value of life mean something to the Hamas terrorist when will the lives of the Palestinian people mean something to them ,when will they realize that by harboring the terrorist you are legitimizing them and when will their children not be used as human shields but are creations that are meant to be shielded and protected by the inhumane terrorist . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TejVJWSTTpY .

the truth is that every one loses in war but till there is a common goal not the destruction of a people as the Palestinian elected Hamas regime wants and the Israeli negotiators are brought to the table , there will be no winners!!

tim   January 12th, 2009 1715 GMT

wow that's a very interesting point of view !!!

racasel   January 12th, 2009 1718 GMT

Video of an analysis of a middle eastern woman about the muslims and why they will never accept anybody unless they are muslims too.

When the jews are eliminated, who will the muslims take on next? the budhist? catholics? Hindi?, protestants?, mormons? ????

http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak

side lines   January 12th, 2009 1735 GMT

Mark LeVine is a professor of Middle East history at the University of California. He wrote this article.

One by one the justifications given by Israel for its latest war in Gaza are unravelling.
The argument that this is a purely defensive war, launched only after Hamas broke a six-month ceasefire has been challenged, not just by observers in the know such as Jimmy Carter, the former US president who helped facilitate the truce, but by centre-right Israeli intelligence think tanks.
The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, whose December 31 report titled "Six Months of the Lull Arrangement Intelligence Report," confirmed that the June 19 truce was only "sporadically violated, and then not by Hamas but instead by ... "rogue terrorist organisations".

The Red Cross, normally scrupulous in its unwillingness to single out parties to a conflict for criticism, sharply criticised Israel for preventing medical personnel from reaching wounded Palestinians, some of whom remained trapped for days, slowly starving and dying in the Gazan rubble amidst their dead relatives.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has flatly denied Israeli claims that Palestinian fighters were using the UNRWA school compound bombed on January 6, in which 40 civilians were killed, to launch attacks, and has challenged Israel to prove otherwise
Neve Gordon, a politics professor at Ben Gurion University, has declared that Israel's actions in Gaza are like "raising animals for slaughter on a farm" and represent a "bizarre new moral element" in warfare.Israel is succeeding in doing little more than creating another generation of Palestinians with hearts filled with rage and a need for revenge.
Israel's main patron, the US, along with the conservative Arab autocracies and monarchies that are its only allies left in the Muslim world, are losing whatever crumbs of legitimacy they still had with their young and angry populations.

The weaker the US and its axis becomes in the Middle East, the more precarious becomes Israel's long-term security.
As Israel brutalises Palestinians, it brutalises its own people. You cannot occupy another people and engage in violence against them at this scale without doing even greater damage to your soul.

The high incidence of violent crimes committed by veterans returning from combat duty in Iraq is but one example of how the violence of occupation and war eat away at people's moral centre.
Who will save Israel from herself?

Israelis are clearly incapable. Their addiction as a society to the illusion of violence-as-power has reached the level of collective mental illness.

As Haaretz reporter Yossi Melman described it on January 10, "Israel has created an image of itself of a madman that has lost it".
During the US presidential race, Barack Obama was ridiculed for being a messiah-like figure. The idea does not sound so funny now. It is hard to imagine anyone less saving Israel, the Palestinians, and the world from another four years of mindless violence

Professor   January 12th, 2009 1803 GMT

Its the occupation stupid...

Professor   January 12th, 2009 1804 GMT

He deserve another flying show.... size 11 maybe this time.... LOL

Akiva   January 12th, 2009 1804 GMT

Benjamin Netanjahu
‏בנימין נתניהו‎
Binjamin Netanjahu
Bibi

This is for you !!!!
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MHzqUIlh_c8

oyewale oyedele   January 12th, 2009 1812 GMT

i dont know how killing can solve the problem. Israel government are total idot for massacring children in gaza.it does not look like war anymore.it is total genocide.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 1835 GMT

professor,

you keep talking about the occupation, but you still haven't defined the area. I feel sorry for people who value land and hatred more than their children.

There is lots of land for sale everywhere.

IF you don't succeed try again. If you still don't scceed try again. IF youstill don't scceed try something else.

your so-call resistance isn't working.

Adnan Husain Arab   January 12th, 2009 1837 GMT

I could have annihilated all the Jews in the world, but I left some of them so you will know why I was killing them.

Adolf Hitler

I still dont like hitler but what the israelis are doing in Gaza, well, hitler is making some sense now...

racasel   January 12th, 2009 1840 GMT

Watch this video and understand the muslims. with english sub-title.

http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak

American Jew   January 12th, 2009 1843 GMT

Sidedlines and Solomon and Professor,

Keep that info coming out, guys!

I am taking a break for awhile.

At least I CAN take a break, unlike the Gazans who cannot escape and must endure this s*** 24/7!!

In Solidarity and Peace (horrors, what a terrifying word to these violence lovers!)
AJ

Beny   January 12th, 2009 1848 GMT

Akiva,

YOU IDIOT. You have absolutely no idea of phosphorous bombs and just jump on the first chance you get to bash Israel.

EVERYONE USES PHOSPHROUS LIGHTING BOMBS. Every army on this planet. It combusts way up high, leaving absolutely no trace to fall on the ground. It is used for illumination.

What you described is indeed banned, and so ISRAEL DOES NOT USE IT. EVER.

Adnan,

So Israel defending itself is a perfect explanation of why the Jews should be exterminated. Simple, really.

Everyone,

3 days ago Hamas declared they will "never agree to any peacekeeping force in the area"
Today they will "cooperate with any initiative".
Now they just need to stop the rockets and allow IDF (not anyone else. as if I trust Egypt) to supervise the Philadelphi strip.

Soon enough and the poor Gazan children will no longer suffer from the crimes of Hamas.

AND I'M STILL WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO DESCRIBE THE OCCUPATION

racasel   January 12th, 2009 1851 GMT

Watch this video and understand the muslims. with english sub-title.

http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak

samy   January 12th, 2009 1851 GMT

Guys in the arab and muslim world. Why don't we organize a billion people march and invade the bastard state (israel).

Beny   January 12th, 2009 1851 GMT

Akiva where do you live? Did your country ever suffer from terrorism?

Beny   January 12th, 2009 1853 GMT

Samy,

You already tried that 3 times, remember? 1948 you marched on Israel. 1967 you marched on Israel. 1973 you marched on Israel.

Now you use terrorism.

samy   January 12th, 2009 1855 GMT

Guys
We should agree not to call Israel by name; let's call it the bastard state. Ok! I m serious professor and the other guys. When we say israel , we mean the state of Israel and this grants it legitimacy. i F YOU AGREE WITH ME ? ELT US GENERALIZE THIS TO OTHER BLOGS.
I will tell why the bastard state is not a state later.

samy   January 12th, 2009 1902 GMT

Beny
I talk about a popular march. Concerning your irony, all the wars you mentioned, we were fighting USA and its puppy Britain and the whole world knows it. Within this logic, Israel has marched to LEBANON two times; what happened then? The most ipmortant thing is the future : will you resist? i M NOT SURE YOU WILL.

Beny   January 12th, 2009 1906 GMT

Samy,

"all the wars you mentioned, we were fighting USA and its puppy Britain "

Yet somehow we ended up taking the blows. How about you aim better next time?

"Israel has marched to LEBANON two times; what happened then?"

The first time we kicked PLO out of Lebanon, and from the second time Nassrallah is still hiding in his bunker.

"will you resist? i M NOT SURE YOU WILL."

No of course we won't. According to everyone in the world, Israel is not allowed to resist and defend itself.

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 1907 GMT

for the stupid who knows what occupation is but want to be smart.

here it is Stupid.

Occupation.

the act of occupying.

the state of being occupied.

the seizure and control of an area by military forces, esp. foreign territory.

the term of control of a territory by foreign military forces: Danish
resistance during the German occupation.

no one is asking about What do you do for a living Stupid.the Question is Military occupation.

Beny   January 12th, 2009 1909 GMT

Solomon,

I asked you to describe exactly what you think we should stop, not give me a goddamn dictionary definition!

Barham   January 12th, 2009 1910 GMT

BENNY SAID
"""EVERYONE USES PHOSPHROUS LIGHTING BOMBS. Every army on this planet. It combusts way up high, leaving absolutely no trace to fall on the ground. It is used for illumination.

What you described is indeed banned, and so ISRAEL DOES NOT USE IT. EVER."""

BENNY,
HERE SAYS THAT ISRAEL DOES NOT USE BANNED WHITE PHOSPHORUS BOMBS EVER!!
WELL ISRAEL IT SELF ADMITS USING IT IN LEBANON WAR ACCORDING TO THEIR TO HAREETZ

"""The announcement that the Israel Defense Forces had used phosphorus bombs in the war in Lebanon was made by Minister Jacob Edery, in charge of government-Knesset relations. He had been queried on the matter by MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz-Yahad).

"The IDF holds phosphorus munitions in different forms," Edery said. "The IDF made use of phosphorous shells during the war against Hezbollah in attacks against military targets in open ground." """

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/777549.html

THEN ALL WHAT YOU SAY ARE LIES AS THIS? GO EDUCATE YOUR SELF FIRST BEFORE SPREADING PROPAGANDA TO DEFEND YOUR CRIMES!

Joan   January 12th, 2009 1913 GMT

Solomon,

I know what occupation is. I asked for a definition of the occupied area.

Beny   January 12th, 2009 1915 GMT

Barham TRY TO READ BEFORE YOU RESUME BASHING ME!

" Hezbollah in attacks against military targets in open ground.” “”"

"Edery also pointed out that international law does not forbid the use of phosphorus and that "the IDF used this type of munitions according to the rules of international law.""

We did not use it on civilians, nor do we use it here!

And aren't suicide vests banned by international law?

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 1920 GMT

"what you think we should stop,"

Beny

. we should stop the Nazis of the world.
the fascists of the world.

the Killers of children.
the bastards of the world.
the Zionists of the world.

all these are in ISRAEL.

that is what we should stop.

samy   January 12th, 2009 1920 GMT

the so called "Israel" is not a state for the following reasons:
1- It has violated a territory of other people (I can discuss this by bringing documented and verifiable historical and legal documents).
2- Even in terms of geopolitics, it has no well-defined borders: Its borders with Egypt and Jordan are regulated by the terms of two peace treaties.
Its border with Syria consists of the Golan, over which negociations are underway.
Its border with Lebanon are monitored by the UN? in addition to this, it occupies SHabaa farms (lebanese land).
of course its border with the west bank is expanding everyday.
Its border with gazza have no legal status yet.
3- It is the only "organization" (in order not to say a state) that does not want to sign the nuclear proliferation treaty.
4_the only criminal organization not to apply any Crucial UN resolution.
5_ the only organization that takes 15 million dollar fro the american tax payer daily with any motive.
6- the only criminal org. to violate human rughts, kill infants, journalists, doctors, Unrwa schools without any condemnation.7- the only ******** to use arms of massdestruction and internationally banned arms with any internationl reaction.

Now , really do you think we should call it ********or the bastard organization. I f you agree, we will generalize it to other blogs and spread the word as much as we can.
Waiting for your feed back.

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 1921 GMT

Joan

.get lost

samy   January 12th, 2009 1923 GMT

the so called "Israel" is not a state for the following reasons:
1- It has violated a territory of other people (I can discuss this by bringing documented and verifiable historical and legal documents).
2- Even in terms of geopolitics, it has no well-defined borders: Its borders with Egypt and Jordan are regulated by the terms of two peace treaties.
Its border with Syria consists of the Golan, over which negociations are underway.
Its border with Lebanon are monitored by the UN.in addition to this, it occupies SHabaa farms (lebanese land).
of course its border with the west bank is expanding everyday.
Its border with gazza have no legal status yet.
3- It is the only "organization" (in order not to say a state) that does not want to sign the nuclear proliferation treaty.
4_the only criminal organization not to apply any Crucial UN resolution.
5_ the only organization that takes 15 million dollar fro the american tax payer daily without any motive.
6- the only criminal org. to violate human rights, kill infants, journalists, doctors, Unrwa schools without any condemnation. 7- the only ******** to use arms of mass destruction and internationally banned arms with any internationl reaction.

Now , really, do you think we should call it ********or the bastard organization. I f you agree, we will generalize it to other blogs and spread the word as much as we can.
Waiting for your feed back.

samy   January 12th, 2009 1924 GMT

the so called "Israel" is not a state for the following reasons:
1- It has violated a territory of other people (I can discuss this by bringing documented and verifiable historical and legal documents).
2- Even in terms of geopolitics, it has no well-defined borders: Its borders with Egypt and Jordan are regulated by the terms of two peace treaties.
Its border with Syria consists of the Golan, over which negociations are underway.
Its border with Lebanon are monitored by the UN.in addition to this, it occupies SHabaa farms (lebanese land).
of course its border with the west bank is expanding everyday.
Its border with gazza have no legal status yet.
3- It is the only "organization" (in order not to say a state) that does not want to sign the nuclear proliferation treaty.
4_the only criminal organization not to apply any Crucial UN resolution.
5_ the only organization that takes 15 million dollar fro the american tax payer daily without any motive.
6- the only criminal org. to violate human rights, kill infants, journalists, doctors, Unrwa schools without any condemnation. 7- the only ******** to use arms of mass destruction and internationally banned arms with any internationl reaction.
8-the only one to detain more than 11000 prisoner.

Now , really, do you think we should call it ********or the bastard organization. I f you agree, we will generalize it to other blogs and spread the word as much as we can.
Waiting for your feed back.

samy   January 12th, 2009 1927 GMT

the so called "Israel" is not a state for the following reasons:
1- It has violated a territory of other people (I can discuss this by bringing documented and verifiable historical and legal documents).
2- Even in terms of geopolitics, it has no well-defined borders: Its borders with Egypt and Jordan are regulated by the terms of two peace treaties.
Its border with Syria consists of the Golan, over which negociations are underway.
Its border with Lebanon are monitored by the UN.in addition to this, it occupies SHabaa farms (lebanese land).
of course its border with the west bank is expanding everyday.
Its border with gazza have no legal status yet.
3- It is the only "organization" (in order not to say a state) that does not want to sign the nuclear proliferation treaty.
4_the only criminal organization not to apply any Crucial UN resolution.
5_ the only organization that takes 15 million dollar fro the american tax payer daily without any motive.
6- the only criminal org. to violate human rights, kill infants, journalists, doctors, Unrwa schools without any condemnation. 7- the only ******** to use arms of mass destruction and internationally banned arms with any internationl reaction.
8-the only one to detain more than 11000 prisoner.
9- the only "state" to be created according to a promise (the one of belfour).

Now , really, do you think we should call it ********or the bastard organization. I f you agree, we will generalize it to other blogs and spread the word as much as we can.
Waiting for your feed back.

samy   January 12th, 2009 1930 GMT

the so called "Israel" is not a state for the following reasons:
1- It has violated a territory of other people (I can discuss this by bringing documented and verifiable historical and legal documents).
2- Even in terms of geopolitics, it has no well-defined borders: Its borders with Egypt and Jordan are regulated by the terms of two peace treaties.
Its border with Syria consists of the Golan, over which negociations are underway.
Its border with Lebanon are monitored by the UN.in addition to this, it occupies SHabaa farms (lebanese land).
of course its border with the west bank is expanding everyday.
Its border with gazza have no legal status yet.
3- It is the only "organization" (in order not to say a state) that does not want to sign the nuclear proliferation treaty.
4_the only criminal organization not to apply any Crucial UN resolution.
5_ the only organization that takes 15 million dollar fro the american tax payer daily without any motive.
6- the only criminal org. to violate human rights, kill infants, journalists, doctors, Unrwa schools without any condemnation. 7- the only ******** to use arms of mass destruction and internationally banned arms with any internationl reaction.
8-the only one to detain more than 11000 prisoner.
9- the only "state" to be created according to a promise (the one of belfour).
10- the only "state" where people need to travel to see the graves of their grandfathers.
11-the only "state" where people have too many different mother tongue that they need to study their national language.
etc, etc, etc...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Now , really, do you think we should call it ********or the bastard organization. I f you agree, we will generalize it to other blogs and spread the word as much as we can.
Waiting for your feed back.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 1932 GMT

samy,

you may have some good points but I don't see that any of them prove that Israel is not a state. I am not arguing about whether or not iIsrael is a statse, just saying that your points do not prove it isn't. There are many countries/states with similar situations.

samy   January 12th, 2009 1933 GMT

Do you agree?

samy   January 12th, 2009 1934 GMT

joan
please , give me one example .

Barham   January 12th, 2009 1935 GMT

Beny,
if it is not banned they wont need to "admit" using it, this bomb is inaccurate, causing lethal chemical burn. spread over wide area around the target, how are using them in a city of people if you care about civilians and accuracy?? then again you said they dont use them and you say it is acceptable to use them! I saw you before try to defend this saying IDF dont use these weapons, please dont defend a lie that kills people again.

I didnt hear anyone using suicide vests in this war and im against stupid suicide vests!!

Joan
occupied land now defined by 1967 borders according to Oslo peace treaty with Israel, which also including East Jerusalem, 22% of original Palestine land, while Israel take 78% are you with this for peace?

abib   January 12th, 2009 1935 GMT

grow up samy

when we deal in a world of terrorists they try and confuse the facts , by hiding with in civilians and when they die they say the Israeli oppresses are killing our people ,so to here in the media they drop their terror with fraudulent numbers and swapping the facts for fiction on what is going on on the ground they shoot their rockets to take the most civilian casualty's Israel risks its solders to try to minimize the human casualty's
its nice to see the truth about the world , like in this blog
Adnan Husain Arab is starting to legitimize Hitler maybe we should use his ways and destroy the state of israel and its jews that only sixty years ago was a dessert and was turned into a first world country by those crazy inhumane Israelis who are trying to defend their people unlike the "refuges " who had no chance and only sit in their crap they make where is the Arab world that are so rich with oil why don't they take the poor hamas lead Palestinians in to there countries instead of giving them katushas build them roads instead of using there billions of aid money for building terror tunnels, build schools to teach love and tolerance and build hospitals that can help heal the ill that's what you do to build a better tomorrow so when you hate speaking anti Israel so called truth seekers realize that when your house is being bombed every day by unprovoked terrorists, who dont hate you for what you do but for who you are then you will wake up to the real truth that defending your way of life is right ....

racasel   January 12th, 2009 1939 GMT

samy, solomon and friends,

Watch this video and understand what your fellow muslims are. with english sub-title.

http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak

Joan   January 12th, 2009 1940 GMT

samy,

India and Pakistan have border disputes over Kashmir
China is often accused of violating human rights, as are many African countries
etc. etc.
I could go on for a long time but you only asked for 1 example

samy   January 12th, 2009 1942 GMT

ok!

Joan   January 12th, 2009 1945 GMT

barham,

I can look up the Oslo peace treaty, but I don't understand the 22%,78% part. Does everyone agree with the 1967 boundaries. I have heard some say 1947.

Beny   January 12th, 2009 1946 GMT

Samy repeating your lies copy&paste will not make them more true. Or have you learned nothing from the past 60 years?

"11-the only “state” where people have too many different mother tongue that they need to study their national language"

You don't even need to learn your "national language".
It consists of two expressions only:

"Itbah al yehud" ("slaughter the Jews") and

"Allahu akbar" ("I am under the illusion that if I flatter god enough he will help me kill innocents")

samy   January 12th, 2009 1947 GMT

I know, you dont like guys like me. But, my point is clear.
joan
the example you give consists of the following: two states fight for a common border. This is the commonest state of affairs in international relation.
I said that the bastard state is the bastard state because we have a package of reasons that constitute an indivisible whole.
Believe me , and i have done research on this issue; you ll never find a similar case to hide behind.

samy   January 12th, 2009 1949 GMT

racasel
we know who we are ; now, as we speak, the world discovers who you really are.

racasel   January 12th, 2009 1951 GMT

samy,
you must a hamas or hesbollah member living in USA to get educated.

Brian   January 12th, 2009 1951 GMT

simple fact
if the arabs would pit down th guns we would get peace....
if israel puts down the guns there would be no israel......

why do the riches arabs in the world keep so many arabs so poor?

samy   January 12th, 2009 1951 GMT

Benny
I was not copying and pasting ; if you see, you'll find that i added other items insubsequent lists. You know why? Once i say the list is over, i find that I should add more.

Brian   January 12th, 2009 1952 GMT

if mexico kept sending in missles into the us what would you do?

abib   January 12th, 2009 1953 GMT

and you will never find a place that gives up land for peace like when israel last year gave the Gaza settlements and still gets bombed every day after that where is the justice there

fair play   January 12th, 2009 1955 GMT

get this folks.....Neither Jesus peace be upon him nor Muhammad peace be upon him could make peace with the Jews. So who are we? if they wanted to crucify christ peace be upon him, the international community is what? give me a break...they always kill, if you come in their way you are dead....they are paving the way for the anti christ so good christians and good muslims, look out. follow them and ud follow the anti christ.be careful with these zionists. they are not the 'real' jews.

fair play   January 12th, 2009 2000 GMT

they want to desrtoy masjid aqsa in jerusalem and re-build their own temple. you would see that they will do it. they have to rule the world from jerusalem. they destroyed the u.s. economy and now they will be the next superpower of the world. see for yourselves.oh it's not the innocent american fault some of their leaders and its allies were planning this for years. now the poor americans will suffer for israel to grow.

Search the Web on Snap.com   January 12th, 2009 2000 GMT

Before I comment on the current terrible crisis I want give a little background for my subjective point of view. Both my parents left there home in Chicago and New-Jersey because they wanted to live in Israel, the Jewish homeland. This is why I am here now, in Jerusalem.

As a student I talked with another Arab student on the bus. At one point she said "if you (Jews) would have found one stone proving that you were once here, it would have been published in all the newspapers". This was not an uneducated person from the street, this is a student at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem. I have an Archeologist friend who one day had an Arab worker helping him dig. Together they found remains of an ancient synagogue. The Arab exclaimed "I was told the Jews invented all their history". As I studied this a little further I found that the Arab education system in Israel systematically eliminated any historical connection of the Jews and the land of Israel.

But why mention history when the air is filled with bombs and rockets, the ground is covered with anti-tank mines and tunnels under the ground pour more fireworks into the region? Deeper than any tunnel there is a basic issue on dispute. Does the state of Israel have a historic write to exist?

Hamas gives a very simple answer to the question – no. Hamas believes the state of Israel should be eliminated. The method and strategy being acts of terror.

It is quite difficult to reach a state of peace when the other side does not believe you should exist and strongly believes in acts of terror. It is also difficult for any state to allow a terrorist "government" to accumulate weapons and fire missiles at civilian cities threatening about 20% of the states population.

The worst part of it, as we see daily on the news, is that this horrid group, Hamas, not only fires rockets at Israeli civilians but also repeatedly uses their own civilians as human shields.

samy   January 12th, 2009 2001 GMT

racasel
Thanks for acknowledging that hamas has educated people among its militants.
Benny
I see that you are out of steam; all you do is insult. Keep on. I will not insult back. Nonetheless, if you don't shut up Ill start lecturing on the history of the "israeli" colonisation process from Hertzel to Samuel to belfour ,to........................with dates , figures, links to websites, and b y referring those who want to see who you are to the right documentation (including both primary sources and secondary ones, in addition to a full videotheque of the NAKBA). Ok!

Beny   January 12th, 2009 2002 GMT

Barham,

1) "I didnt hear anyone using suicide vests in this war and im against stupid suicide vests"

And yet neither you nor any Arab on earth nor any European on earth condemned them when they were used. Hypocrisy, innit?

As for white phosphorous, I did some digging and found out that IDF sent it into bunkers we attacked in 2006 first, to kill everyone inside. Then we waited out for it to clear.
Not "spread over wide area to kill as many civilians as possible", like the "Palestinian sources" (a.k.a. Hamas), but concenrated into bunkers.

And that is the ONLY comparison one can make between us and Hitler without keeping up stupid ignorant propaganda like everyone tries to spread.

The phosphorous you claim we used here is just like I described (illuminatory). This indeed explodes over a wide area.

2)
Ah, FINALLY someone answers my question instead of evading it. You say that the "occupied territory" is what we conquered in 1967, right?

1967 was a war declared on us by the Arabs, in which they stupidly gambled away what little they had left after the previous war they declared. I see absolutely no reason why the hell should I give you back what you threw away in attacking me.

Poland annexed a lot of German land after WW2. Do you see Germans exploding in Polish buses demanding the end of the "occupation"?

As for the UN resolution 242, you might notice the second clause: ceasing of all aggression against Israel. Need I tell you how many times were Israelis attacked since then? So before you attack me for violating the resolution, remember it takes two to tango.

Any questions?

fair play   January 12th, 2009 2005 GMT

if israel must rule, they have to get the land.who lives in the middle east?muslims? then islam must look like the enemy so this was planned for years. guess who bombed the world trade centre?...its the jews...4000 jews work there and none came to work on that day.is this a coincidence? hmmmm.why was this not investigated? because muslims and christians went to work, where were all the jews? wake up people we are facing mind warfare.its crucial to get facts because the end of the worl seems near.

Beny   January 12th, 2009 2006 GMT

Nevermind, reserve questions for someone else, I need to go and plan the genocide of another people and take over the world at the same time, nasty little Jew that I am.

Or maybe, just maybe, I want to sleep, whatever time I have before the rockets get to me too.

racasel   January 12th, 2009 2007 GMT

samy,
now that you profess to be an educated hamas militant. what is your mission to be accomplished in USA. another 9/11?

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2008 GMT

samy,

so now you are saying it is the whole package. There's no basis for saying that an arbitrary package of reasons proves the lack of statehood. Anyone can up with a long list of things they disagree with about another country but that doesn't make it not a country., state, or whatever.For example, many countries have several languages, disputed borders, and violate human rights.

And, really, what does language have to do with it???

samy   January 12th, 2009 2011 GMT

Benny
As a hamas sympathiser, let me tell you the following: it is not a question of giving us back what you have taken by force because we will get it back whether you like it or not. Im talking about the return of the refugees, which is for me the central problem for you. Be sure that there will be noso called "israel" in 2024. Note this date. I WONT TELL YOU WHY.

samy   January 12th, 2009 2021 GMT

RACASEL
You fail to distinguish between religion and politics/Human rights. I never duscuss religion with people I dont have personal relations with. Religion is a matter of choice/culture; human rights is a matter of humanity. I dont live with hamas to justify what it does and what it does not. All i know is that they try not to mix between religion (in the extreme sense (daawa, religious mobilization, etc...like ALqaida leader with whom i totally disagree). As a proof, they have alliance with both the sunnis of the arab world and the shiaa of iran. this shows that hamas as a liberation movement gives priority to ideological concerns. To say that hamas is like Alqaida makes me really laugh.

samy   January 12th, 2009 2023 GMT

i mean they give priority to politics instead of ideological concerns.

samy   January 12th, 2009 2025 GMT

the so called “Israel” is not a state for the following reasons:
1- It has violated a territory of other people (I can discuss this by bringing documented and verifiable historical and legal documents).
2- Even in terms of geopolitics, it has no well-defined borders: Its borders with Egypt and Jordan are regulated by the terms of two peace treaties.
Its border with Syria consists of the Golan, over which negociations are underway.
Its border with Lebanon are monitored by the UN.in addition to this, it occupies SHabaa farms (lebanese land).
of course its border with the west bank is expanding everyday.
Its border with gazza have no legal status yet.
3- It is the only “organization” (in order not to say a state) that does not want to sign the nuclear proliferation treaty.
4_the only criminal organization not to apply any Crucial UN resolution.
5_ the only organization that takes 15 million dollar fro the american tax payer daily without any motive.
6- the only criminal org. to violate human rights, kill infants, journalists, doctors, Unrwa schools without any condemnation. 7- the only ******** to use arms of mass destruction and internationally banned arms with any internationl reaction.
8-the only one to detain more than 11000 prisoner.
9- the only “state” to be created according to a promise (the one of belfour).
10- the only “state” where people need to travel to see the graves of their grandfathers.
11-the only “state” where people have too many different mother tongue that they need to study their national language.
etc, etc, etc………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Now , really, do you think we should call it ********or the bastard organization. I f you agree, we will generalize it to other blogs and spread the word as much as we can.
Waiting for your feed back.

samy   January 12th, 2009 2029 GMT

Benny
I have a question for you:
How many days can you survive without your mamy the US.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2029 GMT

samy,

do all your rockets and suicide bombers only attack within your definition of the 'occupied territory' ? taht is before 1967 ??

samy   January 12th, 2009 2036 GMT

JOAN
Sorry if I say this but don't ask me because there is a difference between me and you in terms of intellectual abilities and espertise. You cannot come to intellectual saloons and say nonesense. Please, ask people like you. Either you are not of age or you have a problem in data processing. You better go to sleep because each time I enter this forum, i find you. What? You exercise a kind of therapy here or what. Leave me alone.

samy   January 12th, 2009 2038 GMT

right?

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2038 GMT

samy,

yes, there is certainly a big differnce in our intellectual abilities. Obviously, I can't get a logical answer out of you, so I'll speak with others.

JJdT   January 12th, 2009 2039 GMT

"Our fundamental condition for cooperating with Germany was a free hand to eradicate every last Jew from Palestine and the Arab world. I asked Hitler for an explicit undertaking to allow us to solve the Jewish problem in a manner befitting our national and racial aspirations and according to the scientific methods innovated by Germany in the handling of its Jews. The answer I got was: The Jews are yours."

Former Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Husseini in his post-World War II memoirs

"The Mufti was one of the initiators of the systematic extermination of European Jewry and had been a collaborator and adviser of Eichmann and Himmler in the execution of this plan... He was one of Eichmann's best friends and had constantly incited him to accelerate the extermination measures."

Adolf Eichmann`s deputy Dieter Wisliceny in his Nuremberg Trials testimony.

samy   January 12th, 2009 2040 GMT

Could anyone here define for me the term terrorism?

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2043 GMT

Brain,

'why do the riches arabs in the world keep so many arabs so poor?'

good question. But the obvious answer is that if they weren't poor they wouldn't be willing to sacrifice themselves and their children to make the rich arabs richer and more powerful.

samy   January 12th, 2009 2045 GMT

JJdT
this is the kind of statement I LIKE. Thanks JJdT. It comforts me to see that jews have suffered too.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2052 GMT

Terrorism: Organized system of intimidation

Terrorist: Is to terrorize, keep in terror or continual fear

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2054 GMT

hello samy

Barham   January 12th, 2009 2056 GMT

Beny,
If you dont accept 1967 borders then you dont accept peace nor a state for Palestinians, and you try seek expelling the rest of Palestinians! is this true? and who sane said that a land occupied by a war, is a right for the occupier! in what sense are you thinking

Joan
1947 resolution 181, is the land portion originally giving to the Jews by UN to establish a jewish state, much less than the land Israelis occupied after and now. if you interested to know what happened, google the resolution. Yes the wide majority of Palestinians today agree on 1967 border including east Jerusalem.. while this war just helps increases extremists on both sides. means no peace.. I wonder if its designed to create extremism, extremism will only give more cover to Isrealis crimes on Palestinians, and help not establishing a free state for Palestinians along with Israel! For some Israeli extremists, sadly this is a highly desired goal. what about you? Are you making your voice up to support an equally free state for the Palestinians on 1967 borders?

and for the rich Arabs questions, no one defending Arabs as they didnt make mistakes, they did alot! but also dont forget that Gaza, west bank could be as Dubai with its people, if IDF is not bombing them almost day and night for the last 60 years.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2057 GMT

At the present there is no Internationally agreed definition of terrorism

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2100 GMT

Nick-israel
According to this definition, the so called "israel" spreds terror:
1-it creates violence among civilians.
2-it cretes violence in order to spread fear.
3- it leads to mass-killings.
4- it uses fear to subordinate anther population
This is called state terrorism.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2100 GMT

Imagine Palestine was Harbouring Al-Queda and ran the country over there, how do you think the United States would handle the situation, does anyone think they would do anything different? Compared to Israels way at this time.

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2101 GMT

the so called “Israel” is not a state for the following reasons:
1- It has violated a territory of other people (I can discuss this by bringing documented and verifiable historical and legal documents).
2- Even in terms of geopolitics, it has no well-defined borders: Its borders with Egypt and Jordan are regulated by the terms of two peace treaties.
Its border with Syria consists of the Golan, over which negociations are underway.
Its border with Lebanon are monitored by the UN.in addition to this, it occupies SHabaa farms (lebanese land).
of course its border with the west bank is expanding everyday.
Its border with gazza have no legal status yet.
3- It is the only “organization” (in order not to say a state) that does not want to sign the nuclear proliferation treaty.
4_the only criminal organization not to apply any Crucial UN resolution.
5_ the only organization that takes 15 million dollar fro the american tax payer daily without any motive.
6- the only criminal org. to violate human rights, kill infants, journalists, doctors, Unrwa schools without any condemnation. 7- the only ******** to use arms of mass destruction and internationally banned arms with any internationl reaction.
8-the only one to detain more than 11000 prisoner.
9- the only “state” to be created according to a promise (the one of belfour).
10- the only “state” where people need to travel to see the graves of their grandfathers.
11-the only “state” where people have too many different mother tongue that they need to study their national language.
etc, etc, etc………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Now , really, do you think we should call it ********or the bastard organization. I f you agree, we will generalize it to other blogs and spread the word as much as we can.
Waiting for your feed back.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2103 GMT

barham,

I can't take a stand on the border issue because I have no stake in it. I am just curious about what peolpe think and why, and if there is really agreement among the Palestinians. I just think there should be some border somewhere and the fighting should end.

What do you meanabout Dubai??

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2103 GMT

mohammed g
So what your saying is Canadian forces in Afganistan are a bunch of terrorists also?

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2104 GMT

what about this list?

Solomon   January 12th, 2009 2106 GMT

the solution is the dismantling of Israel.

this is not my words these words are from orthodox Jews any one wants to comment on that?
they say that the creation of Israel is against the wishes of God.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2106 GMT

Any Army protecting itself and its people from over six thousand rocket attacks has all the right in the world to put an end to such terrorist acts.

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2107 GMT

Nick
what do they do there? Because frankly i dont know. Canadian people are peaceful. they should quit following aggressors.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2107 GMT

with respects to what, my feelings on it?

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2111 GMT

Al- Queda is ran out of that country but do not run the country. Their hiding place. Canadian forces are liberating the Afgani people from this. The hunt for Osama more or less. They fight the Taliban over there, like Israel is fighting Hamas. Weve been there since 9/11. Just over one hundred Canadians killed thus far.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2111 GMT

mohammed,

you wil have to go back to school for a long time if you want to create a definition of statehood. your list is just that a list, but it doesn't support your statement or prove anything.

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2112 GMT

Nick
tell your relatives to return bach to canada.They dont have anything to do in the middle east. they are the odd-one-out.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2112 GMT

Mostly killed by roadside bombs.

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2115 GMT

joan
Iam SAMY
I told you to avoid me.

Barham   January 12th, 2009 2115 GMT

Joan,
The problem more from the Israeli side to perform their part of the agreement, all the world know this, even Rabin the one who signed Oslo agreement was shot dead by Jews themselves. and every time Israel try to find any reason possible to avoid a real peace agreement, and try easy ways to create more extremism as its doing in this war currently.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2119 GMT

Sorry bro
They will be there till Al-Queda is wiped out and forgotten, and the Afgani's can live in peace without fear of the Taliban. And untill Osama is found dead or alive. FBI's top man to get is Osama with a one million dollar reward, dead or alive. We aint going nowhere. Weve been there since 9/11 and have a very small number of casualties, and these are mostly caused by cowardly ways of fighting, we are doing a good job out there. The Afgani's want us there vato.

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2122 GMT

"the bastard state" suffers from an existential crisis. it wants to show to the world that it is a democracy and at the same time it canot help doing the thing it does best: killing women and children.

JJdT   January 12th, 2009 2123 GMT

History of Palestine
http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm#The%20Jewish%20Kingdoms

Barham   January 12th, 2009 2126 GMT

Nick,
Just an advice try to look for facts, put your self in others shoes, before accepting what they are spoon feed you through the media, i know you are paranoid from the terrorists, but believe me no one out there looking to hunt you down, and no one cares about your way of living as intellectual Bush loves to imagine, but also when you invade other countries and kills its people ((70000 iraqis died in US occupation)), dont be naive much to think that they will throw roses back at you.

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2130 GMT

Its the occupation stupid....

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2132 GMT

Its the occupation stupids....

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2132 GMT

The slogan of Hamas is "God is its target, the prophet is its model, the Quran its constitution: Jihad its path and death for the sake God its loftiest of its wishes". Hamas states that its objective is to support the oppressed and wronged and "to bring about justice, and defeat injustice, in word and deed". Hamas believes that "the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf (trust) consecrated for future Muslim generations untill Judgement Day", and as such, the land cannot be negotiated away by any political leader. Hamas covenent states that
"so called peaceful solutions and International confrences" are "in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistence Movement"
stating "there is no solution to the Palestinian question exept through Jihad".

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2133 GMT

Nick-Canada,

Good for them... what is bothering you with that?

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2134 GMT

Barham,

Finally, someone is saying something that makes sense. Thank you.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2136 GMT

Barham,

Does Hamas agree on the 1967 border including east jerusalem ??

rusty   January 12th, 2009 2137 GMT

Something should be said of the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza. As the Israeli forces drive deeper into Gaza, they are finding booby trapped homes and schools, a vast network of tunnels, and weapons everywhere. All this, while the living conditions of the people in Gaza has been described as "squalor". It becomes apparent what the priorities of Hamas have been, and the world should take them to task for it. Do they really care about their people, or are they simply interested in picking fights with Israel? I should think that they could improve the living conditions of their people quite a bit, if they were not so intent on digging tunnels, and smuggling weapons, and firing rockets.

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2140 GMT

Joan,

What does it matter to you if Hamas agree on the 1967 border or not?

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2140 GMT

Nick
You have got to be kiddin. The problem of the world is not Ossama. Ossama is just a person and even Alqaeda is no more an organisation. The deeds of the United states and its allies and their unconditional support for Israel and the dictatorships in the arab world has created an ideological school of thought that can be qualified as extremist. This Islamic extremism has grown as antithecal to the American savage capitalism (the dominant form of globalisation). Before , during the cold war, this role used to be played by the communist organizations. OK? after the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent conflict, Alqaeda has lost much of its potential, but the essence of its way of thinking has spread all over third world countries where illiteracy and poverty reaches alarming proportions (see Pakistan as an example). Now the problem is no more Binladen. This guy has lost his popularity when his followers (like the the sunna army and others) have started killing carab civilians without discrimination.
Nick
In Afghanistan, Now Taliban do not fight for Bin Laden; they fight for political motives: they want to rule. Believe me that in the long run, the Us (with obama) will accept a form of compromise whereby Taliban will rule with other allies in awa y that will be acceptable to both parties.
Let me summarize: the problem is no more Binladen( he is dying somewhere in Pakistan), the problem is illiteracy, poverty, and the violence of Israel. what is happening now in Gazza is transforming again moderate people into e'xtremists. Unfortunately , the world has to pay for the misdeeds of one "state".

earle,florida   January 12th, 2009 2141 GMT

Eight days to go for PE Obama to take control,and I pray he has some stern words for Hillary,or else send Mr. Holbrooke!

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2141 GMT

Paranoid
Please Barham thats the last of my worries here, I did not elect a bunch of them to run my country. Thats the beauty about living here man you don't have to. But I do have a hatred for any terrorist organization or terrorist for that matter, I was going to high school in the states at the time of 9/11 so my hate is deep, as is the hate for them in all the youth of America, they don't give in to all your Bush hate talk. This sort of stuff makes me want to sign up and go over there and give the Israelis a hand. The last thing I am is paranoid. With all the countries that list Hamas as a terrorist organization, you can bet they are paranoid.

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2143 GMT

Earle,

I cannot wait to see what Obama is going to do...

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2144 GMT

He is an educated man... unlike the worthless old shoe....

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2147 GMT

Nick
I hope you learn something from what I say, really, because you keep repeating things again and again. facts are facts.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2148 GMT

That may be your opinion but to the United States Osama is number one concern, there is a price he must pay for what he orcestrated on 9/11. Sure Al-Queda is top priority aswell, which is why you can expect us to be there for a while yet.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2149 GMT

Professor,

Hamas are the ruling party in Gaza. Why wouldnt I want to know what they think ?

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2150 GMT

Dear friends
sorry if I repeat this text, but i want it to be read by new bloggers. sorry prof and the others.

the so called “Israel” is not a state for the following reasons:
1- It has violated a territory of other people (I can discuss this by bringing documented and verifiable historical and legal documents).
2- Even in terms of geopolitics, it has no well-defined borders: Its borders with Egypt and Jordan are regulated by the terms of two peace treaties.
Its border with Syria consists of the Golan, over which negociations are underway.
Its border with Lebanon are monitored by the UN.in addition to this, it occupies SHabaa farms (lebanese land).
of course its border with the west bank is expanding everyday.
Its border with gazza have no legal status yet.
3- It is the only “organization” (in order not to say a state) that does not want to sign the nuclear proliferation treaty.
4_the only criminal organization not to apply any Crucial UN resolution.
5_ the only organization that takes 15 million dollar fro the american tax payer daily without any motive.
6- the only criminal org. to violate human rights, kill infants, journalists, doctors, Unrwa schools without any condemnation. 7- the only ******** to use arms of mass destruction and internationally banned arms with any internationl reaction.
8-the only one to detain more than 11000 prisoner.
9- the only “state” to be created according to a promise (the one of belfour).
10- the only “state” where people need to travel to see the graves of their grandfathers.
11-the only “state” where people have too many different mother tongue that they need to study their national language.
etc, etc, etc………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Now , really, do you think we should call it ********or the bastard organization. I f you agree, we will generalize it to other blogs and spread the word as much as we can.
Waiting for your feed back.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2152 GMT

rusty,

I don't know whether everything you say is true or not, but, just based on what i see happening, it seems obvious that Hamas does not care about the people of Gaza.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2153 GMT

Prof
Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by Canada, the United States, Japan, the European Union, and Israel. Hamas is banned in Jordon. Ausralia and the United Kingdom list only the military wing a terrorist organization. Both the United States and the European Union have implemented restrictive measures against Hamas on an international level. Don't expect him to do anything different. All he said on T.V. was he has some words to say about the woman and children, but so do I, Ya its sad I can agree with him.

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2154 GMT

Nick
With this answer I choose not to answer you anymore because you discuss like a little boy. sorry.

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2156 GMT

Joan,

Who are you?

Barham   January 12th, 2009 2156 GMT

Well Nick, then you are now help only increasing the hate between both sides, and help an occupier over an occupied, sadly i see your high ground of morality very low here, further more to me now you are appearing as another form of terrorist, different aims, same mentalities, and believe me this kind of hatered you have is all what it takes to be a terrorist.

Joan, thank you

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2156 GMT

Nick,

I am sorry to hear that you hate so deeply. Wouldn't it be better to turn that energy into something positive, rather than threatening to go help the Israelis destroy innocent people. You are either for destroying innocent people or against it. You can't have it both ways.

Why do you put Canada after your name??

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2157 GMT

Im waiting for the other jews who think they hold the truth in their hands but i dont see anyone of them here, could anyone tell me when they join this blog? THANKS

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2158 GMT

Professor,

I am a person, who are you???

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2159 GMT

Nick-Canada,

I am not expecting anything.... its just strange that he did not speak up on this issue as he did on Mumbai.

The way I interpret the silence... that he did not agree with Bush.... becuase when he agreed with him on Mumbai he spoke up.... so what is the disagreement going to be I wonder.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2201 GMT

Professor,

I am a Canadian, but I do not live in Canada.

Barham   January 12th, 2009 2203 GMT

Nick
you are repeating the same messages again and again, i read all the messages you write many times by you, as a copy paste, just put in mind as all other tell you, its occupation here, again its occupation here as many others told you, again its occupation here, are you getting it? again its occupation here? got it? you know what occupation mean? agains its occupation here!!

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2204 GMT

I am a person too. :)

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2205 GMT

Joan,

Why not? You do not like Canada or what?

Barham   January 12th, 2009 2206 GMT

I agree with you Professor because he spoke up about Mumbai, but here he prefers to stay silent, and i guess because he has something different of what Bush saying. something a bit more mature maybe.

racasel   January 12th, 2009 2208 GMT

Watch this video and understand what the muslims are like. with english sub-title.

http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2209 GMT

Canada is too cold in the winter, and too hot in the summer.

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2210 GMT

???????????????????

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2211 GMT

Barham,

Obama is a lawyer... he understand what is legal and just and what is not unlink Bush who was clueless.... So, lets hope that he does not bend over to the Zionist Lobby.

Barham   January 12th, 2009 2212 GMT

Nick, sorry if last message was harsh, i hope you got my opinion

The Turk   January 12th, 2009 2212 GMT

hey pro-palestinian humans..

do not loose your valuable time with total loosers of ignorant stupids..or guided and paid liers of Israeli PR organizations showing up in every bit of community poisioning other peoples minds, even here...

they are part of war crime anyways..they will be Judged by their God..

here in Turkey we are about (hopefully) to manage to deliver some first-aid material and a mobile hospital unit to Gazan people with hi-ranking support from Turkey, Egypt, Palestine and some Arabic countries.. also there seems to be some sort of tolerance in Israel from aid support only from Turkey..

we are working hard to do whatever we can do to save at least one more life...

prepare yourselves, organize your locals who has least bit of humanity left which may help in case of necessity, prepare for the day the blockade will be reised to help children there...

go..go..go...

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2212 GMT

Good for you... so you chose to live in CA instead?

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2214 GMT

Can't afford CA.

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2215 GMT

JONAS
This is an intellectual saloon. Do you have something to say or you are here for therapy. By the way I am Samy. Read first what I wrote because you need to study a bit.

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2216 GMT

Joan,

So you chose Israel then?

Barham   January 12th, 2009 2220 GMT

The TURK,
That is very considerate from Turkey, and i know many in Jordan trying to raise aid campaigns for people in Gaza. Hope these aids can reach them soon. And hope Gaza build for a better future.

mohammed gharbawi   January 12th, 2009 2221 GMT

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2223 GMT

I love Turkey and the Turkish people.... I just wish they can get rid of the control their Army has on its politics.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2223 GMT

Professor,

No, I would never live anywhere that is not peaceful. I hear that Isreal is beautiful, but I have never been there. I have been to other mid-east countries and all over Europe, SOutheast Asia, and Australia.

That is why I do not understand why people will spend all their energy and their children's lives for a bit of land. There is land for sale in many places all over the world, and the world is full of nice peaceful places. Land is nothing, it is just a possession that can be bought and sold like so many other things. I would value my life and those of my children much more.

I believe you said you live in the US.

A Williams   January 12th, 2009 2226 GMT

Isreal's senseless and wanton of Palestianian's lives in Gaza must cease. Thirteen Isreali's have died while countless Palestinian lives have been lost or ruined, by Isreal's actions. I plan on writing to the U.N General Assembly President urging for the creation a Isreali war crimes tribunal.

The Turk   January 12th, 2009 2229 GMT

well , we have mobilized a local support group, who has hi-ranking contacts from within Turkish gvrnmt. , unofficially. We are progressing to be able to deliver first-aid material which is mostly required on the ground zero. We get steady reports from ground-zero that there are extreamly too many burned people and children. Mostly first-aid material of anykind is asked by ground zero..

we managed to raise some help locally. There are people with contacts of every part in the area...

It seems that if aid originates from Turkey, the blockade may be soften, temporarily..

so tell your contacts to communicate with Turkish embasy, there may get some help... hopefully.

and... please...do not loose your time with idiots..

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2231 GMT

Turk,

That is wonderful, that you are sending aid to Gaza. Can you accept aid from others and deliver it ??

The Turk   January 12th, 2009 2235 GMT

well said profesor...

but we love our army.. it is not the same army of dictatorships... it is the army constituted our democratic secular republic with the helps of its own people...

but we mobilize our army to protect the peace, to protect the suffered only.. we do not mobilize our army to invade others lands.. ( even we have the original ownership of that land..)..

The Turk   January 12th, 2009 2239 GMT

no we do not accept help of others which we are not authorized to..

contact , if you wish, with your UN office... they would guide you..
we are a closed group of people who personally managed our own aid to be delivered..

If you are keen to help, get ready for official help organizations.. that day will come soonest...hopefully..

Professor   January 12th, 2009 2244 GMT

Joan,

So, I guess you would not care if lets say Russia invaded Canada and occupied it.... you would not care to send you children to the Army to defend it.... or would you?

I.B. Wright   January 12th, 2009 2248 GMT

Nick-Canada

With all due respect, what does Canada being in Afganistan have anything to do with Israel and Hamas? In Afganistan, it is a NATO mission targetting Al Queda while in Gaza, it is Israel targetting the Palestinian people. Unfortunately, I believe the term terrorist is over-used anyway to justfy conduct normally considered unacceptable in treating other human beings (in this case the Palestinian people). While I don't support using anyone using terrorist tactics, I also believe that Israel can expect more of the same as long as they continue putting their "enemies" inside a pen and then make sure they have no weapons to defend themselves. Israel uses all the military firepower anyone could imagine to kill thousands of Palestinians and then uses the self defense card to justify it by blaming Hamas for firing crude rockets into their streets causing a few pot holes. I'm not condoning Hamas' firing of these rockets but let's get serious here. What's going on there now is no different than shooting fish in a barrel and then blaming the fish for not getting out when they had a chance. This is inhumane and the bottom line is, Israel cannot come up with any acceptable excuse to deliberatly kill hundreds of innocent women and children in schools or mosques. It's just wrong and..they should keep in mind that the shoe will be on the other foot someday.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2254 GMT

If Russia occupied Canada, I would stay or leave depending on my situation. Since, I'm not in Canada, I'd invite my family and friends to come where I am or go elsewhere where they could have a nice life. I don't thinkCanada could defeat Russia, so why try. I certainly would not waste my children on a futile cause.

But, I don't think Russia will occupy Canada. If they did occupy only part of Canada and I still wanted to live in Canada, I would move to a part they did not occupy. Any resistance from me would be in the form of economic growth.

In Canada, we have a separatist movement in Quebec. We do not shoot each other (almost never), we just have referendums to decide issues. The separatists never win, but they keep having referendums. That's fine with me. IF they win they can separate.

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 2257 GMT

After days of reading this site, I think I finally understand the problem. Israel was given land in the forties to be a country again. The world felt sorry for them. Arabs didn't. They say Israel is illegal and should be wiped off the face of the map. Hamas feels this way. Its their charter. They are outnumbered so shoot from populated areas and Israel tries to stop them and civilians are hurt. Other Arab countries support Hamas and the U.S. supports Israel. The U.S. doesn't want it to be another Darfur. Hamas doesn't want peace. They want Israel gone. The missiles aren't stopping and they don't want neutral countries, the Swiss, French, whoever mediating and monitoring. Am I missing anything??

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 2259 GMT

On TV, it said the Jewish religion is now six thousand years old. We newer religions can't even imagine that number probably. That's probably part of the problem. As I get older, I get more set in my ways.

Joan   January 12th, 2009 2302 GMT

GLeigh,

Sounds like a good summary to me.

Degi   January 12th, 2009 2308 GMT

YOU NEED TO WAKE UP AMERICA!
YOU ARE WORSE THAN NORTH KOREA, your goverment is controlled by isreal and jews who control everything, your media your army your president. YOU THINK YOU HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH and FREEDOM OF EVERYTHING, but you DONT. Numorous freelance journalists have been silenced or killed, websites shut down, but there are still ppl who want to let out the truth.

WAR IN IRAQ was for one purpose only: oil and strengthening of Isreal.

WAR ON GAZA: YOU CANT DO SHIT to stop the Isreals

FUTURE WAR ON IRAN: Iran is a part of the nuclear treay and has the right to build civilian nuclear facilites, and its a violation of international law that the US even mentioned force on Iran

AND YOU AMERICANS WHERE THE HATE IS COMING FROM, its directed at your blindess and stupidity, being controlled by power hungry jews.

Seriously look for media other than the now isreal controlled main stream media you watch on tv and cnn etc. I wont be surprised if this is deleted in 5 mins.

Seriously WAKE UP, YOU ARE THE ONES BLIND, not the world.

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 2309 GMT

This conflict 101. I've been trying to figure it out and piece it together. Thanks Joan. It would be nice if the human race continued on, maybe even as long as dinosaurs. I have doubts though.

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 2319 GMT

Americans don't really hate anyone. I try to find out war stories on the news. Guess what – it's easier to find out about Caylee Anthony and Brad Pitt. Americans figure everyone will work out their differences as reasonable people do eventually.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2320 GMT

I.B. Wrong
It has everything to do with Israel and Hamas, people here don't seem to get why the United States are'nt in favor of Hamas and there terrorist supporting people of Palestine. Canada plays a big role with America in our War Against Terror, I try to make them realize that we are against terror, we don't see (America, Canada) Israel as terrorists, we see Hamas as terrorists, if they are going to terrorize a country and keep launching rockets in into it at innocent people, my country or my former country the States are not going to help them (Hamas) until they stop. But as revieled earlier in a post that I put up, and if put it up again I'll get chewed up but I'm sure you read it. "So called peaceful solutions and International confrences" are "in contradiction to the Principles of th Islamic Resistence Movement," (Hamas) stating "there is no solution for the Palestinian question exept through Jihad". There will never be a cease-fire and therefore America will keep backing Israel, even Obama, he is still American, we fight terror like in our other wars. I just asked the question what do you think America would do to Palestine if they were in Israels shoes, go about it any different? No, they are again terrorists, we don't negotiate with terrorists, we liberate countries overan by terrorists. I said this last night, sorry to all for repeating but America would blow an American airplane full of Americans hijacked by Islamic terrorists (or any kind) out of the sky before ever negotiating with them.

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2323 GMT

I feel sorry that the Palestinians are'nt give much of another choice for electing

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 2324 GMT

I forgot the Gold Globe Awards. Our news is full of it. Lovely gowns.

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 2329 GMT

Also, when you say the Americans "hate" to who do you refer? The Mexican Americans? Irish Americans? African Americans? European Americans? Muslim Americans? Native Americans or Jewish Americans? There are also Germans, Polish people, you name it. Who hates? We are everyone. That bothers some. I have a best friend from Vietnam. Go figure....

Nick-Canada   January 12th, 2009 2345 GMT

Canada was not attacked on 9/11, America was, you would ask what are Canadians doing there, well we help America in any way we can, especially when it involves someones freedom being attacked. Israels freedom is attacked all the time ( 6000 rockets). America is just standing for whats right and Canadians feel the same way. I hate it when people immigrate to our countries and think somehow we have to adapt to their tradictions and ways, when they should be coming here because they want to adapt to our traditions and ways like it was in the old days of immigrating. People would have to learn english for example, not now we have to have an interpreter

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 2350 GMT

My best friend from Vietnam came here on a small boat. It was dangerous. He was a teen. It was hard, but he knows some English, pretty good really. His wife, also from Vietnam, know some English too. They have three young boys. Do they hate Israel or Palestine? I doubt it. They just wanted hope for the future. Whoever attacks America, basically attacks the world.

GLeigh   January 12th, 2009 2354 GMT

There are countries who don't believe in God at all. Period. It seems to me that the ones who do should, at the very least, be able to tolerate each other. Something to think about maybe.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 009 GMT

Hi Everyone!

CS   January 13th, 2009 012 GMT

There goes ol Bush again. He says Hamas should stop firing rockets to Israel, and Egypt should be made to stop helping Palestine. Nobody said that our allies had to stop helping us murder Iraqis for no reason. It is so typical that the U.S./Israel/Britain have one set of rules, and everybody else has another. Israel has already set blockades surrounding Gaza, to prevent food,supplies, and medical supplies through since 2006, and into the cease fire. Where was ol' Bush and the U.N. when this was happening. Where was the U.N. this past November when Israel launched it's 2nd incursion into Palestine during the cease fire? But as soon as Hamas acts, "Hamas has to stop firing rockets" What a hypocrite.

GLeigh   January 13th, 2009 015 GMT

Hamas started eight years ago. I don't think this was immediate.

CS   January 13th, 2009 015 GMT

Nick. In the last 8 years, 14 Israelis were killed. 1700 Palestinians. Take your head from your lower colon. Wake up! Stop blindliy supporting U.S and Israel. I'm American and I don't even condone my government's behavior.

CS   January 13th, 2009 018 GMT

It's a little coincadental that organizations like Hamas and Al Qaida don't form until after they're attacked/opressed. Lesson for the future?

CS   January 13th, 2009 023 GMT

GLeigh. How about when America attacks other countries? Or are we totally innocent and perfect? I'll believe that when I walk through Manhattan's gold paved streets:)

Linda   January 13th, 2009 023 GMT

Is everyone's page messed up?

GLeigh   January 13th, 2009 024 GMT

CS – lesson for the future. Things should be worked out peacefully. I know Hamas didn't have big rockets. Good thing since they sent over 11,000. Thank the Good Lord. I think the peace marches in Southern Africa were nice. There are other ways besides violence and killing of getting your way and being heard. Basically they want Israel gone, wiped out. That hinders peace don't you think??

Well the husband needs his desk. Peace to all. Good luck in your search to see God, whatever you may call him. G'night.

Hunk   January 13th, 2009 033 GMT

CNN IT ,
Hala,

Why this blog in particular have no margins , i used all browesers that are there, but still all comments fall out side the margines, that you have to go right and left to read the comment.

This is CNN my dear, we want quality service, nothing less than service excellence. .

I hope you fix this bug.

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 037 GMT

Nick- What the hell are you rambling about? You claim to be a transplanted American in Canada and you are complaining about immigrants wanting their adopted country to adapt to their tradictions (?) and ways?? Isn't that a little hypocritical? You say "we help America in any way we can"-who are the "we" you referring to? I wouldn't make a rash statement that all Canadians support what Israel is doing because they don't ( I doubt all or even half of all Americans support what Israel is doing). They may support the war on terror but there's no way they can support the deliberate killing of innocent civilians including many women and children. The only reason anyone can even try to justify it is because someone slapped the terrorist label on Hamas and even that doesn't make it acceptable. Besides, shooting down a plane load of Americans just to make a point of not negotiating with terrorists is a little ....cold isn't it? Maybe it would be helpful if you would speak for yourself instead of on behalf all Canadians when you're talking about supporting what Israel is doing because you certainly don't speak for me or many others.

CS   January 13th, 2009 042 GMT

GLeigh. Kind fishy how some supporters of Israel say 6000 rockets, some say 11000. These are nice clean, even numbers that your TV gave you. Do you believe they are correct?

Here's something to consider:

CS January 12th, 2009 2104 GMT

I think that there is a way to fix this problem. In 1948, the U.S. and U.N. got Israel on it’s feet. In fact, to this day, the artillary used by Israel comes from The U.S. In its 60 short years, Israel has become a flourishing democracy, and powerful nation. Not because they’re “Gods’s people” or any kind of misconception, but because it was nourished, and given training wheels by other governments.
Regardless of how I, and others feel about Palestine ( they’re horribly opressed and raped country), the same should be done for them. If they were given a chance at

1. Freedom from opression from Israel, no blockades, no control of water/imports by Israel. COMPLETE independance from Israeli interference.

2. Infrastructure. If they were given funding, and engineering help with electricity plants (Water turbines/wind/and ro solar), they could have an economy that works. People could have jobs, and the energy could be clean, and nobody would have to be concerned about nuclear plants.

3. More infrastructure. Roads (paved that is), bridges.

4. Education. We all know that educated nations tend to flourish.

5. Defense (non-nukes initially of course). If the people had a strong enough military to protect from outside influence in the region, they would not have to rely on groups like Hamas to fight for them.

I’m no great leader of nations, or any sized group for that matter, but it has been done for other nations, including Israel. Why not Palestine. It has been too long.

I might also add that if these things happened, and the people had something to hold onto, something to leave to their children, hope for their children, and dignity for it’s elders, and frankly, something productive to do for the age group in the middle…People would not allow groups like Hamas/Al Quaida to bully them. They would be frowned upon in the community, right before having a firm ass kicking by the local authorities/guard. Same as here. If things get out of hand, we have agencies to intervene.

Hunk   January 13th, 2009 103 GMT

In response to Video by racasel,

This is Islam debate. with English subtitle

Jesse   January 13th, 2009 120 GMT

No one mentions it, but there are 1.5 million people in Gaza. 900+ people dead in relative terms is like 180000 people being killed in an invasion of the United States. It is almost guarenteed that everyone in Gaza will know or be related to someone injured or killed during this operation by Isreal. Just a thought.....

racasel   January 13th, 2009 207 GMT

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says they are winning so what are you guys complaining about. Dont' you want them to get their share of the 7 virgins?
Why don't you just let them keep fighting until they defeat Israel.
Keep on fighting Hamas martyrs. Are you sure though that your God is helping you with your evilness.

Lee   January 13th, 2009 212 GMT

If you really care watch this video about the real face of Hamas:

rich   January 13th, 2009 235 GMT

WHILE ISRAEL HAS THE MOMENTUM THEY SHOULD END THIS NOW. WIPE OUT HAMAS ONCE AND FOR ALL

rich   January 13th, 2009 237 GMT

ISRAEL IS NOT A GOVERMENT THEY ARE A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. THERE IS NO PEACE FINISH IT ISRAEL

Jesse   January 13th, 2009 239 GMT

I'm having a hard time finding it on the web, but I know I will quickly be enlightened by the people replying to this post. How many Israelis have been killed by the Hamas Rocket attacks over the past year? Please if you know the answer post it.

Joan   January 13th, 2009 247 GMT

Jesse,

What does it matter how many have been killed 1 on either side is too many.

Eric Gallion   January 13th, 2009 256 GMT

There needs to be an end to this. There needs to be a real peace treaty/solution. I've come to believe that the only answer for two peoples who each claim the same land is to share it.

This means a One-State Solution, with Israel/Palestine becoming a secular (non-religious) democratic state where no religious or ethnic group is favored over another, where all groups share equally in the benefits of the state, and where there are guarantees that no group could use the democratic process to supress or discriminate against the minority.

This is a tough choice, but the two state solution is dead, and wasn't a great idea in the first place. Israel would still have it's internal Palestinian population to deal with. Israel also gives no indication that it will ever give up the settlements, and total control of the region – which makes a Palestinian state impossible.

There are two great books on the subject: "The One State Solution", by Virginia Tilley, and "One Country", by Ali Abunimah. Check them out.

South Africa was able to go from Apartheid to a single, if imperfect democratic state. Israel/Palestine can too.

Jesse   January 13th, 2009 256 GMT

It does matter beacuse Isreal is justifying the death of 900+ people and over 3600 injured over these attacks.

Joan   January 13th, 2009 257 GMT

CS,

The Palestinians have been given lots of aid money by the rest of the world, but their leaders stash it away or spend it on weapons. Their leaders do not want them to have anything, otherwise they would not support their leaders' useless aggression. Their leaders want them to be unhappy.

I just don't understand why their peole think that things will be any different if their leaders did win this battle. THey would just buy more weapons for more battles.

Joan   January 13th, 2009 259 GMT

Jesse,

Numbers cannot justify what Israel is doing? DO you think that if 1000 Israeli's were kiled then it is okay for them to kill 1000 Palestinians.

With that attitude, we'd all be dead.

Jesse   January 13th, 2009 328 GMT

Well if the attitude is 1000 muslims = 15-20 non-muslims we all wont be dead, but alot of muslims will. That is the insanity of the world these days. There is no justification for killing others. But we are so far beyond eye for an eye in the middle east. Its more like an eye for a family of 5.

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 331 GMT

No one is complaining about who is winning or who is losing because this is not a game. Furthermore, why do you mock their God when He might be the same as yours (assuming you have one)?? If you have a different God than they do, then you should be worried that the killing of so many innocent women and children may not be acceptable to Him either. As far as I know, God is not in the business of helping evil and what Israel is doing in Gaza qualifies as evil in the eyes of most civilized people around the world. I know it's hard to be objective about this but maybe a head count would help clarify the picture?

Rod   January 13th, 2009 339 GMT

Who is the Commander in Chief ?

JERUSALEM (AFP) – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was left shame-faced after President George W. Bush ordered her to abstain in a key UN vote on the Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday.

"She was left shamed. A resolution that she prepared and arranged, and in the end she did not vote in favour," Olmert said in a speech in the southern town of Ashkelon.

"In the night between Thursday and Friday, when the secretary of state wanted to lead the vote on a ceasefire at the Security Council, we did not want her to vote in favour," Olmert said.

"I said 'get me President Bush on the phone'. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn't care. 'I need to talk to him now'. He got off the podium and spoke to me.

"I told him the United States could not vote in favour. It cannot vote in favour of such a resolution. He immediately called the secretary of state and told her not to vote in favour."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090112/pl_afp/mideastconflictgazaolmertusrice_newsmlmmd

Now we know who is the Commander in Chief.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 345 GMT

Hi Rod,
Thanks for posting that article.
Do you find it troubling that Hamas won't even consider Egypts proposal for a cease fire and to send in monitors? I felt it very disheartning when the leader of Hamas said that they will fight until every Jew was dead.
I have been an advocate for stopping the killing, as you know, and getting some monitors in there to help open the boarder, but I feel that there is no end in site now.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 349 GMT

Hi Linda -

I'm not surprised by the stance of the Islamic terrorists of Hamas. Iran told them not to agree to a ceasefire or they would be cut off. Their masters are pulling their strings. It seems the Iranians are willing to fight to the last drop of someone else's blood and the Palestinians are ignorant enough to do it. So sad.

Rod   January 13th, 2009 350 GMT

Hey linda. good to see you.

racasel   January 13th, 2009 350 GMT

Lee,
I hope that video will help awaken those who support Hamas and Hesbolla from their "fanatic sleep" and realize that they are supporting a group of inhumane, conscienceless people who just cares about themselves and nobody else, not even their own people. Not even dogs will do to their fellow dogs what that video showed. It is despicable and sad. Israel should not stop and should take the Hesbollah next. Freedom loving people should support Israel.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 352 GMT

Yes, Bill, a sad situation indeed.
These Hamas animals sickens me

Linda   January 13th, 2009 353 GMT

I wrote on the other blog
If you poke a bull in the ass, he may gore you!

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 356 GMT

The real Commander in Chief obviously resides in Israel then. No wonder there is no peace in the Middle East? Amazing!

Rod   January 13th, 2009 358 GMT

Hey linda. good to see you.

I am sure Hamas is not much more concerned for the Palestinian life than Israel (again not an an excuse for Israel to kill 900 palestinians).
Both want to win and they do not care about civilian casualties.

Israel want to score and Hamas wants to.
For Israel if there is even a limited stoppage of rockets then they won.
for Hamas if they survived then they won.

I think both know this will be the final outcome and they simply do not care about civilians.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 358 GMT

I am not sure why it is Bush's fault. He is not the only President that has stood with Israel.
Can anyone tell me what other President in recent History, has not stood with history?
I'm just asking, I don't blame Bush for everything in the world, and no, I did not vote for him last time.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 359 GMT

I know Rod, and that is the sad part. Everyone says that they care, blah blah, they do care about human life.
Is your page messed up, Anyone? Mine is

Bill   January 13th, 2009 402 GMT

Linda -

My page seems fine.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 404 GMT

thanks Bill,
Mine looks crazy. I don't know what it is. I rebooted, no change, but all of the other blog pages look fine. I will just have to deal with it. Thanks :)

Tony Pate   January 13th, 2009 405 GMT

I could not believe the length of which Israels control of US admin and Bush read below.

....Olmert said Bush's agreement "embarrassed" Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice because the resolution was one that she had "cooked up, she organized, she formulated, she maneuvered," according to comments reported by Israel Radio.

"And she was left pretty embarrassed, abstaining on a draft resolution she organized herself," Olmert added.

What should we the American citizen make of this. How will this be handled by Bush administration. Israeli government totally dictates US Middle East policy to their likings coming directly by Israeli PM. WOW this is tough to swallow by the Bush officials to "Shame" one of their own....Condi.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 407 GMT

Tony,
That was posted above in it's entirety. Thanks

Bill   January 13th, 2009 411 GMT

Tony Pate -

I don't know that I would read all that much into it. Our president got a request from a friend who is at war. He decided to honor his request. It might have looked embarrassing for Condi, but she's a big girl. She can handle a little embarrassment to help out a friendly government. Her abstention made no difference to the measure that was passed.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 411 GMT

Here is a question. Why, o Why, do the Presidents chose women to fill that role, Rice and Clinton? Now, I am a women, but does anyone really think that the Arab nations around the world will listen to what a women has to say?
This is the dumbest thing ever. I'm sure Rice, and now Clinton, walks out of the room, and all of these men will just start laughing. I think this is part of the United States' problem.
We have to be so worried about being so Politically Correct, that we don't look at how these countries view us.

Rod   January 13th, 2009 412 GMT

Tony,
Did you see how Olmert orders bush? I posted the whole story! makes one ashamed.
I mean where is the respect for the president of the United States!

Linda   January 13th, 2009 413 GMT

Bill-
I only believe about half of what's put out anyway :)

Linda   January 13th, 2009 414 GMT

Rod-
What respect for the President of the United States? There hasn't been any for a long time.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 415 GMT

l get a real kick out of listening to the media from countries that are not as hamstrung by political correctness. They can be pretty entertaining.

This PC stuff often prevents us from saying what needs to be said and doing what needs to be done. Some people just live to be offended.

Debs   January 13th, 2009 423 GMT

Hello Solomon and Beny...and all

Bush is by far one of the worst war criminals, as bad as hussien and amin.

Bush used his position to bully and push around countries to get what he wanted from them.e

He lied to the world and dragged us into a war that is completely wrong. Iraqis are still suffering almost six years after the invasion.

Bush has a nerve to preach about the conlict in Gaza!!

Bush, I hope you enjoy your retirement and sleep cozy at night. Dont think one bit of all the innocenent blood you have one your hands. Dont think about the blood of our soldiers you have on your hands.

Rod   January 13th, 2009 426 GMT

Linda,
Arab women live a good life and they lead in many sectors. Arab men respect their women ( not as we think here). Actually when I look at women who are from Middle eastern origins they really live a good life ( i am not saying everyone, but in general they do)
I think the arab women are not treated fairly by the western media. they often try to show them as uneducated and do not give them credit.
Condi was not respected by our president more than arab leaders and Olmert made a joke of her and told everyone. she was leading the ceasefire resolution and she was ordered not to vote for it!
See many of the Arab leaderships are supported by the US and they know they will not survive a sec without this support since their people do not support them. When Condi or Hillary go to them she orders and they follow. As you see Arab leaders did not do anything to help the Palestinians ( no statements no aid). Even Mubarrak helped with the Gaza siege and the worsening of the humanitarian crises in Gaza.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 428 GMT

test, am I here?

Rod   January 13th, 2009 434 GMT

Debs that is a statement i wished I see long ago.
George Bush and his buddies lied 935 times to americans to drag us to this war.
they wasted one trillion dollars. committed war crimes that resulted in 1.2 million Iraqis killed. corruption, human rights violations...etc.
I cannot say any more.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 435 GMT

Rod,
I guess we will have to disagree on this one. Just like when they drew a pic of Rice, pregnant with a chimp in her stomach. That was how they thought of her. I have traveled the world, and yes, many people in many nations treat women as second class citizens. So I don't understand why they are sending Women to do these jobs.
And Arab women do not even get a vote, a choice to be hear, and where are all of the Palenstinian women carrying their injured children into the hospital in Gaza? Don't say they are injured too, that would be too much of a coiencidence, all the women and children injured, no men. Come on Rod, I assume you have traveled, but try traveling as a women, it is very different.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 440 GMT

Hi Brandon,
How is it going tonight?

Linda   January 13th, 2009 442 GMT

Brandon! I am sooooooo proud of you!!!!! I didn't even have to say anything :)

Rod   January 13th, 2009 444 GMT

Sorry linda, I cannot travel as a woman. I will consider it but i know even those who are blind will know.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 444 GMT

Where is BC Brandon?

Bill   January 13th, 2009 445 GMT

Aren't Arab women subject to "honor killings"? From what I've read, Islam treats women as property. Women who are raped are often prosecuted for infidelity. For a woman to successfully prosecute an attacker, she needs at least 4 male witnesses.

It doesn't sound like a good life to me.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 446 GMT

You are probably right Rod. HAHA
It even happens in European countries. I know, my husbands family is still that way. Boy, did they get a shock when I walked in with my "get a load of me" attitude. hahahaah

Linda   January 13th, 2009 448 GMT

That is true, Bill, and the daughters are killed by honor killings if the fathers, uncles, brothers, etc. think they are dating someone that is not right for them. We had one of those killings here. A father killed his two daughters, they are still looking for him. How Sick!

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 450 GMT

Linda- what does it matter if all you see are women an children being carried into hospitals? Too much of a co-incidence that mostly women a and children are shown? Would it make you feel better if a few hundred injured men were photographed too? Maybe it's an Arab conspiracy against women? Come on wake up and believe what you see not what you'd prefer to see. it is what it is.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 450 GMT

I haven't been on long today. I saw some eariler posts today that Dan was on. I don't know what the deal is with that clayton. He got on last night with Nona and I and started calling us all kind of bad names. He was crazy. We decided to call it a night. He was very abusive.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 451 GMT

I saw your artic blast up there Brandon. Whew! it was 62 here today :)

Bill   January 13th, 2009 452 GMT

It was a pretty tough crowd on with Dan this morning...

Rod   January 13th, 2009 452 GMT

Linda Arab women get a vote in most arab countries. except Saudi and Kuwait ( both supported by the US) I am not sure about Somalia (I think they vote there) there might be couple more countries ( I have to research it ) anyway the vote in many Arab countries does not count for men and women. They have leaders who are there to stay and they win by 99.98%. I have yet to see one Egyptian who likes mubarak i bet you he will outlast Obama as he did Reagan , Bush the Father, Clinton, and Bush the Son.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 453 GMT

IB Wright,
I SAID, that children was being carried in by the men. We were speaking of the way women are treated in those countries. I suggest you read the entire conversation. I wanted to know where the WOMEN were, they were NOT being filmed

Linda   January 13th, 2009 455 GMT

I get your point Rod,
I wonder about our voting system sometimes. I guess I should have said a lot of countries, not just singling out Arab countries, sorry for that.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 455 GMT

Rod -

Isn't Mubarak in his 80s?

Linda   January 13th, 2009 456 GMT

Again, I am looking at this as an American. Women here are treated a lot better than women in other countries. But there is a big difference in a lot of countries. I have to be really careful when I travel, wear their clothing, and blend in or I could get into a lot of trouble.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 459 GMT

Yea Bill,
I see some are really pounding Dan. What a shame. That does not accomplish things. I know Dan can rub people raw, but it is just because his family has lived this, unlike many of us, and it is hard for him to hear some of the propanganda.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 459 GMT

Brandon -

Nope, not Bill Carlson.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 501 GMT

Brandon,
What did you think of what Hamas said about not working with Egypt for a resolution, because they are not lettting monitors in and they will fight until every Jewish person is dead?
It made me feel like there is no resolution in this situation.

Rod   January 13th, 2009 504 GMT

Bill sorry all your information is wrong. I am a jew and I encourage you to do more reading.

Rod   January 13th, 2009 506 GMT

Bill: Mubarak is 80 an planing to go for 400
lol

Rod   January 13th, 2009 507 GMT

That is only a media image does not relate to Islam.
the 4 witnesses are for the man to prove adultery on his wife or for her to prove it against her husband. and the honor killing not so predominant. honor killing is a cultural thing and does not have anything to do with islam.
the lady who made the best selling book about the honor killing story in jordan never lived in jordan and the story was all fabricated.

In jordan there were 6 crimes that were classified as honor killings in 2001 when we were hearing so much about it here and it sounded like every other family had this problem. The jordanian population is around 6 million.
rape rates in muslim countries are much less than the US and you can search for yourself ( not because the women are prosecuted for it)

Saudi   January 13th, 2009 508 GMT

http://www.livestation.com/channels/3-al_jazeera_english

Rod   January 13th, 2009 509 GMT

ok guys I need to go sleep. Ya all take care.
Linda if you See Lynne, Nona and American Jew please say hi to them

Linda   January 13th, 2009 510 GMT

OK Rod-
have a great night:)

Jim   January 13th, 2009 516 GMT

linda,

Hamas does not want to kill every jewish person! They are resisting to the occupiers which happens to be the israelis. its simple as that.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 517 GMT

Yes, nuke the Hamas regime, but what about the people of Gaza that did not vote for Hamas?
Now, yes, I will say that people keep talking about the women and children. Well, I am a mother, and some of the mothers there are breeding this hatred, but some are not and caught in the middle.
I feel for them, I hope that if there is a God, they will be spared, and live to bring peace.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 518 GMT

Jim, Hamas leader was on TV today and said those exact words. So is he right in his beliefs, or are you right in what you assume he thinks?

Linda   January 13th, 2009 520 GMT

*stay*

Nona   January 13th, 2009 524 GMT

Hello friends and all lovers of peace!

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 524 GMT

Sorry Linda if I misread your post but maybe YOU should go back and read it again yourself. I read it a couple more times and still interpret it the same way I did the first time. By the way, I did read most of your conversation about how poorly Arab women are treated and honestly didn't make the connection between the men carrying the wounded children to the hospitals as somehow diminishing the role of the women. Nevertheless, sorry for the confusion.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 527 GMT

What's the deal with the screwy layout & margins of this thread? Is it just me?

Linda   January 13th, 2009 528 GMT

I did not mean to be rude, IB Wright,
Maybe I was not clear, but that is what I was trying to get at. Where are the childrens mothers? I hope they are not laying in their homes, or streets, wounded, and no one is helping them. If I wasn't clear, that is what I was getting at, in the context of women being treated differently.
:)

Linda   January 13th, 2009 531 GMT

Nona!
Rod just left and said to tell you hi,
I have to shut down firefox and use internet explorer to get it right

Linda   January 13th, 2009 533 GMT

I can not type tonight!

Nona   January 13th, 2009 533 GMT

Hi Linda! If you see Rod tell him hi back - thanks for passing on his message. Will try IE to see if the skewing straightens out.

Hunk   January 13th, 2009 534 GMT

The Dignity boat will be arriving at around 13:00 hr today, to Gaza, hope they make it this time.

Hope nothing wrong happens this time.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 534 GMT

Greetings Nona!

Linda   January 13th, 2009 535 GMT

Hunk,
It's a bad day for me, so excuse me for asking but, what is the dignity boat?

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 535 GMT

Nope- I didn't think you were rude and i think we are all after the same conclusion. Just an end to all the insanity on both sides and let people get back to normal life. I'm pretty sure that''s all everybody wants at the end of the day.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 538 GMT

IB,
Yes you are so right, and I am having a bad day, sorry.
I wish peace for all of the people, all around the world. This is such a horrible situation.

cubfan   January 13th, 2009 540 GMT

The bell tolls for thee, Hamas. Hamas is finished in Gaza, the IDF will not stop until they have killed or captured the entire lot of these idiots. Every day the noose gets tighter and tighter around the neck of Hamas in Gaza and the IDF continues to apply unbearable pressure.

We find out tonight that the IDF is advancing on headquarters of Hamas preventative security and the end is closer than ever.
Hamas fighters are starting to figure out some important things, the Hamas leadership is a bunch of cowards hiding in Damascus, you get to live if you surrender, the IDF means business, the Palestinians are beginning to resent them and they will be safer in Israel, God marches by the side of the IDF, the French are no help, Obama cannot help, he is Christian, they can here the bell and it tolls for thee.

This war must be allowed to bring about an unconditional surrender of all of the Hamas fighters in Gaza and followed by an invasion of Syria and Iran. The powers of evil must be defeated once and for all.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 542 GMT

cubfan –

Great news!

Linda   January 13th, 2009 542 GMT

Cubfan,
Why would you want an invasion of another country?

Linda   January 13th, 2009 543 GMT

Cubfan,
Are you in Israel? If so, I wanted to get your thoughts on whether or not you think BiBi will get elected in Feb.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 544 GMT

Hi Bill, Hi Cubfan!

IE hates me. {sigh}

cubfan   January 13th, 2009 545 GMT

The longer this war goes on the better for Israel. Every day the IDF advances methodically around Gaza city sending the Hamas fighters into a panic. Every day fewer missiles are sent toward an innocent Israeli city. Every second the Palestinians of Gaza realize Hamas has over promised and under delivered and is the root of their problems.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 546 GMT

Wow Cubfan. I'm totally pro-Israel, but I can't say I'm pro-invasion even against the a**hole regimes in those countries.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 547 GMT

Nona,
I had that same problem, I was using mozilla Firefox. I tried to reboot and everything. Anyway, my husband had me switch browsers, and that worked. Do you have another browser to use? If it loaded wrong in one browser, it will still be in the cache, and you will have to use another one to make it look right. I was very annoying to me!

Nona   January 13th, 2009 548 GMT

I agree with a lot of what you say, but I don't think there's any glory in war. It's a dirty necessary evil sometimes, but the longer a war goes on, the worse for everybody.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 549 GMT

Good news, if they can get Hamas out soon, and bring monitors and peace to the region.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 550 GMT

Yeah, I tried IE and it shut down on me and was worse than firefox. i'll just live with the jumbled firefox. I hope this is a one-off oddity and not some new thing on the blog that's going to go on forever.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 552 GMT

Larry King, that relentless pursuer of hard news, is dedicating his show tonight to The Biggest Loser.

Sheesh. The war in Gaza, war in Iraq, economy, inauguration - and he's doing a show about The Biggest Loser on "the world's news network?" I think that's ridiculous.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 553 GMT

It is Nick-Canada and Brandon's fault, Nona. They are sending down the Aritc front and it is freezing up the lines :) Brandon said it was -10 up there a little while ago. Burr

Linda   January 13th, 2009 556 GMT

Yes, he said he lived in Vancouver. I didn't know that until tonight. I feel bad for them up there. My sister is at Minot, in ND and it was 80 degrees colder up there this afternoon than it was here. I hope they bunker down.
There was also a blizzard at my mom's on the MO/IA border today. I told her to just keep it to themsleves

Linda   January 13th, 2009 557 GMT

*hunker down*

Nona   January 13th, 2009 559 GMT

That is FREEZING. I spent a winter in Russia so I know how it feels. That is some serious cold.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 600 GMT

So what am i interrupting?

Linda   January 13th, 2009 600 GMT

Nona, Russia, must have been intersting. Did you ever make it to the Ukraine by any chance

Debra   January 13th, 2009 600 GMT

I have to wonder if the conflict between Hamas and Israel is a distraction for what might come here on our soil in the US on Jan 20. I hope we don't get so wrapped up in the excitement of it all that misfortune comes our way. What better day, for terrorist to try something awful. There will be miliions of people in Washington DC and millions more watching on tv.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 601 GMT

You are not interupting anything. No one Ever answers my questions.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 602 GMT

I hope not, Debra. Let's not plant any ideas in the heads of some of the terrorists on these boards! What is your question, Linda?

Linda   January 13th, 2009 603 GMT

Debra,
I have thought about that and it pains me. Especially because I am wondering if there will be protests there to try and disrupt the inaguration.

Jim   January 13th, 2009 604 GMT

i hope Israel does not last one more day from the region. they are the problem in Palestine. All of you israelis and supporters are cruel, tongue twisted, brainwashed, heartless, losers.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 606 GMT

Oh, nothing important I guess, I was just wondering the thoughts of eveyone because of what the leader of Hamas said today. Also because he will not agree to egypts plan, and he will not allow any monitors in gaza. That was one.
It seems to me that people keep screaming that the boarder of Israel needs to be open with Gaza. BUT Hamas won't let monitors in, why? I'm sure it is because they would not be able to get their bombs through to blow up the people of Israel. So will there be any peace until all of Hamas and their followers are killed? A terrible thought.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 607 GMT

Yes, Jim. We can see how kind and informed you are.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 608 GMT

It's about that time Nona.

Debra   January 13th, 2009 609 GMT

Hey, the terrorists probably thought of it long before I did. No doubt, there will be protests. And that's all I will say about that comment of mine.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 609 GMT

Hamas doesn't want peace, Linda. They don't even pretend to want peace. I'm not one bit surprised. They want to keep their human shields in place, suffering, and sending rockets over to threaten Israeli citizens so that Israel has no choice but to go in and take them out. I don't agree with Cubfan's incendiary rhetoric, but he's mentioned this a few times and he's right.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 611 GMT

Hamas does exactly what al-qaeda would do. They're the same thing with different names and the same ideology and goals. What hamas is doing is just another version of what al-qaeda did on 911 – purposely kill a bunch of innocent people who just want to live their lives in peace – to further their warped ideology and goals.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 612 GMT

If the rhetoric would stop from some people, they would make their case much better, because they do have valid points.
I would also like to know from someone that is in or around Israel, what they think will happen with their elections Feb. or is it to early to tell.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 612 GMT

And Jim, you are wrong - Hamas absolutely DOES want to kill every Jewish person. Go back and do your homework.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 613 GMT

I agree with your above assesment

Nona   January 13th, 2009 613 GMT

I don't know about the elections, but I don't think whoever's elected will make a difference in Hamas's goals.

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 614 GMT

Hey cubfan – you're obviously FOS. I talked to God and he told me if he were to march by anyone's side it would NOT be the IDF's. As a matter of fact he is very disappointed with them for killing all the innocent women and children. God also told me the powers of evil are the ones doing the majority of the killings and one of these days someone WILL defeat them once and for all, as you say. There must be many other countries besides Syria and Iran who disagree with what Israel is doing in Gaza but these brave forces (IDF) are careful not to pick a fight with someone who is capable of fighting back, aren't they? They seem to take great sport in shooting fish in a barrel.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 617 GMT

I don't believe so either.
I have watched BiBi for years, a lot of people on this blog, and it other places has said that this is political for Israel. People have also said that the people of Israel do not like what their government is doing. So, If they know this to be true, and not only speculating, and they are there, do they plan on changing their leaders? I'm just interested because I have followed BiBi for years, and for some reason, there is something about that man, that I would probably follow to the ends of the earth, and I don't know why. He is very interesting to me.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 621 GMT

The latest poll I saw had Likud picking up some seats but didn't mention PM. I've seen those comments too, Linda and I don't really agree with the Israeli elections thing. I think it has more to do with the 11,000 rockets thing. And 99% of Israelis I've spoken with are 100% behind this attempt to damage Hamas. They're tired of sleeping in bomb shelters, closing schools, closing offices, etc. I don't blame them.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 621 GMT

U.R. Wrong -

If God was on your side, why is Hamas getting its butt kicked? Why are all the Palestinians dying as human shields? I don't believe God is an Islamic terrorist. I would imagine that the supreme being would have values totally opposite of those of Hamas and its supporters.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 623 GMT

Bill,
I like that.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 624 GMT

Beautifully said, Bill!

Jim   January 13th, 2009 625 GMT

The Gaza strip has total area of 140 sq mi. Its immensely populated and all its borders and crossings are closed like a prison. Hamas is a ressitance movement defending their land, and they have nowhere else to attack from but from their enclosed area. I am sure that if they had sophisticated weapons like Israel and had the ability to make military actions outside their cities then they would.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 625 GMT

I am watching a report that says be careful of the numbers coming out of Gaza that says so many are dead. Also, evedently, among the dead are government officials that Hamas does not agree with, that are being killed by Hamas themselves. No surprise, I have said to be careful of what you believe it happening. We are not there, we don't know for sure.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 626 GMT

(Pssst...and is it my imagination, or is someone hearing voices in their head and claiming that it's Gd speaking directly to him???)

Linda   January 13th, 2009 627 GMT

Jim,
If they want the gaza boarders open to Israel and Egypt, all they have to do is allow monitors in, and STOP trying to kill their neighbors!

Linda   January 13th, 2009 628 GMT

Sounds like someone needs some medication

Nona   January 13th, 2009 628 GMT

Hamas is a resistance movement? Dude! Hamas is an al-Qaeda cell! It murders its own people! It's sworn to the destruction of Israel and its people! It's a radical Islamic extremist organization that wants to enact Sharia, just like its Iranian masters have done and like the Taliban did.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 634 GMT

Jim – Ask yourself why Gaza was closed like a prison. It was Israel's non-violent response to rockets and mortars being fired at its civilians, a war crime. Instead of thinking about the welfare of its people, Hamas responded by increasing attacks.

Hamas is not a resistance movement, unless you count resistance to logic and common decency. Hamas is an Islamic terrorist group. Israel painfully removed its citizens from Gaza and turned the land over to the Palestinians. What did they do with the place? The dug up the sewer pipes to make more rockets to fire at Israeli civilians! They elected an Islamic terrorist government! They didn't make a better life for their people with the Billions of dollars of aid they got from dupes around the world. They spent it on weapons to attack civilians.

I'm sure if they had more advanced weapons they would attack more people based on their total disregard for life. If they had nukes, they would rather destroy the entire world than live in peace with Israel.

The Palestinians built their own prison by selling their souls to the devil (Islamic terrorism). Now its time to pay up.

Debra   January 13th, 2009 634 GMT

I think God does speak to us, leads us in the direction we should follow. God tells us good things! If we do bad it is only what we want to do as a human, not to mention what the devil wants us to do.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 635 GMT

sounds like some people here are proud of Hamas. So let me ask them, If Hamas is so proud of what they are doing, and if they think they are right, why don't they show their faces, instead of running around with a bunch of women's scarves on?

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 638 GMT

Nona- Even if you're right about Hamas' intentions, tell me who's actually doing all the killing over there? The bottom line is , the facts don't lie regardless of what rhetoric you quote and from whom. If Hamas was actually carrying out its threats to kill all Jews that would be one thing but Israel IS killing as many Palestinians as world opinion will let them. I don't care what Hamas says because all I see is Israel bombing schools and mosques killing hundreds of women and children while defending its actions with some self serving rhetoric about human shields. Deliberately targeting those facilities is even more distasteful than Hamas showering Israel with ineffective rockets that have no specific target in my books.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 642 GMT

Well said, Bill. And I might add that when Israel lleft gaza, they left the citizens of gaza with beautiful flower, fruit and herb farms, a good airport and running natural gas wells with plenty of potential for further development. All of that could have been built into thriving and growing agriculture and tourism commerce, but Hamas destroyed all of it. It had fruit orchards all over the place when Israel left and Israel gave Gaza the keys to it. Now they say they are starving.

Jim   January 13th, 2009 642 GMT

Bill,

Are you saying that people lose wars because they are bad? And are you saying that people who are dominating or winning a war the good people? ..... well, the reason Israel is winning is because of its military aid from the U.S which israel earned by its lobbying. Don't you think that if hamas had the stronger military instead of Israel, then Israel would be losing... by the way, According to the numbers, it seems as if Israel is killing and injuring more civilians rather than kicking Hamas butt.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 642 GMT

IB,
I am a mother, and a women, so I am sick and tired of hearing about the women and childern. Those are the women that are raising their children to hate and kill. Those women will strap on a bomb just a quick as any man. and the children you are referring to are not just 3 and 4 year olds, they are teenagers that fight also.
These are the women and children that help hide Hamas, their rockets,and will not turn them in to authoritis. I am so sick of this crap. and where are you getting your numbers? Everyone that is pro-Hamas states these numbers, but where are they coming from, they are coming from Hamas, and don't you think the number of the dead can be inflated? I can assure you that a lot of the footage that is coming out of Gaza is a photo op.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 647 GMT

IB, do you take everything you see at face value?

Do you know why there are so few casualties in Israel? One major reason is that Israel actually has bomb shelters and a rocket alert system for its citizens.

Hamas, on the other hand, built hundreds of miles of tunnels for smuggling, transporting, launching and hiding weapons, but not one single bomb shelter for its citizens.

Wouldn't a semi-responsible government build at least SOME protection, SOME bomb shelters, for its citizens, especially while it's so busy digging tunnels anyway? And wouldn't a TRULY responsible government put the protection of the citizens before the protection of its weapons?

Linda   January 13th, 2009 652 GMT

Nona,
I'm glad you are here:) and I am glad you are as tired as the propanganda and "same old song and dance" as I am. This mindset really sickens me. Some can't see the truth if is hit them in the face. How shallow is it to be on a side, just for the sake of being on that side?

Nona   January 13th, 2009 652 GMT

Good points, Linda. I'm especially partial to people reeling in response to the horrible photos they see coming out of Gaza and then claim there's no media allowed in Gaza. Contradiction much?

That said, let me add that I absolutely DO have sympathy for the people of Gaza. They deserve to live in dignity and safety just like everybody else does. People can complain all they want about the Israeli lobby in the USA, but nobody has sold more Palestinian blood than the Palestinian politicians, who are on the dole of the powerful Arab states who want to keep the Palestinians living like rats for 2 reasons: (1) they don't want them in their own contries (obviously, or else they'd be resettled there after 60 years); and (2) they don't want Israel to exist either. They like having the Palestinians serve as the poster children for the "evilness" of Israel. It serves them well. The Palestinian people are truly worthy of sympathy.

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 653 GMT

Bill- I didn't say God was on my side did I? So... let me get this straight I am now one of "those terrorists" because I'm critical of the number of killings attributable to Israel? How typical. Besides, I wasn't the one who said God is marching by the side of the Israeli army. My point is any compassionate God would not tolerate killing buy anyone and it seems like Israel is doing more than its fair share , no? Far as I know, God doesn't pick sides and looks at the bottom line numbers so I'm Ok with that.

And for Nona's edification, I was being sarcastic about God directly talking to me so don't be frightened.

Debra   January 13th, 2009 654 GMT

I grew up going to Church and I don't do what God expects of me now. I will pay for that one day. Something has been on my mind for years now. Why, did God put his only son, Jesus, on earth to walk on the soil over there in the Middle East? Why give all the Middle East countries the richness of all that oil? I know the US has oil. Did God give his people his son to see if Jesus could make a difference, for the good over there? Hasn't all this turmoil over there been going on for ages? Didn't your people kill Jesus? Maybe because of that fact is why your people suffer and have for a long time and maybe always will. This is just my opinion. What I think and just a little bit of what I might have picked up along the way with my going to church. Don't laugh at me, ok?

Bill   January 13th, 2009 657 GMT

Jim –

No, that's not what I said. Israel is winning for a lot of reasons. They do have the best military in the Middle East. They are not cowards like Hamas. Hamas admits using women and children as human shields.

The US supports Israel for a lot of reasons. We have common ground. We both believe in the value of life, truth, freedom, justice, and tolerance. All of these are completely the opposite of the beliefs of the Islamic terrorists of Hamas.

Israel is also winning because its cause is just. They are defending the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians. Hamas could care less about lives. They want to maximize civilian casualties to convince a gullible world that they are the victims. The world is getting wise to this heinous tactic.

Also, according to the numbers, the number of civilian deaths is less than half of the total. It would be even less if Hamas cowards stopped hiding in and launching attacks from schools, private homes, crowded neighborhoods, and mosques.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 657 GMT

Aw, thanks Linda. I'm glad you are here too!

I get annoyed at people who see a photo or read numbers about the latest battle of a 60-year war and jump to conclusions about who the villains are. It sickens me too.

It's very human for people to want to defend the perceived underdog. I think that's a natural reaction most good people have. But they don't learn the facts before they react, and that's a shame.

Plus, good old-fashioned Jew-hating is alive and well. That's a different story altogether.

Jim   January 13th, 2009 700 GMT

Bill,

You have to look throughout history, Israel has never been peacefull they have always approached situations militarly. You have too look at the big picture...before Israelis temporaily lived in Gaza there was palestinians living there and the rest of the beatiful land for many years. Then Israel occupied a lot of land including the Gaza Strip and then later told there israelis to leave the Gaza strip "painfully". Its as if you are saying that they are giving up something that is theirs when really its unjustly not theirs but the palestinians land. Don't forget Israelis made palestinians flee from their homes and they slaughtered many palestinians to even get the land, not only now but for more than 60 years.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 701 GMT

Absoutely, the palestinian people. But I am so tired of the women and children arguement. I am sick of the videos coming out of Gaza. As a former Paremedic, you don't get blown half way up and not cry. You don't get rushed in on an ambulance and just look around like, What is going on" you don't have injuries from a war, have a bandage, someone running you in an ER, and you don't even cry. And the video that broke the camel's back was yesterday, a man was running his infant child into an ER, out of an ambulance, but was there a baby? there was a blanket, could have been a rock in it. I am so sick of the photo ops. I have been in those situations, I have picked up the dead ( in several parts) I have treated the burns, and I have had the blood of many on my hands, trying to save their lives. I can see all of these videos and pictures in a very unique way, and the pictures are not what sickens me as much as what the photographers are trying to make you think you see. I'm no fool
That does not take away from anyone that has been injured or killed. I know there are some, there has to be, but we need to be real about it. And just because they are injured or dead, does not mean they were all by the hands of the IDF.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 704 GMT

Debra,
I don't think you will be paying for that at all!
I can't answer any of your questions tho. I grew up in the native american culture, we were spritual, not religous.

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 708 GMT

Linda- you are sick and tired of hearing about women and children being hurt??? Well so am I. You don't like looking at or believe the pictures you see or the reports of the UN agencies or anything else. Then what unverified propaganda do you suggest we should believe? If you have better numbers than what is quoted in the media then share them with us. I don't happen to believe anything Israel says because I see what I see like most other people in the world.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 710 GMT

IB,
How can the UN report accurate numbers when there are no media in Gaza except for the Hamas controlled media?

Linda   January 13th, 2009 712 GMT

You sound like MOST people believe the propanda IB. You act like the world is on Hamas' side. You act as if I am the only one who thinks this way. You act as if you know for yourself. Well, tell me IB, are your boots on the ground in Gaza?

Nona   January 13th, 2009 713 GMT

IB - I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear you were being sarcastic. Thank you for clearing that up. My apologies if I offended you by taking your sarcasm out of its intended context.

Debra – I think you ask some interesting questions; I like your spiritual side. I've asked myself the same questions. I also ask why Gd created Mohammed after the resurrection - what is His goal in that?

I don't pretend to have any solid answers, but my best guess is that He deliberately created conflict to challenge us to find peace among ourselves. My interpretation is open to debate - it's just the closes I've come to any of it making sense. And I don't claim to have come to any conclusions - I am still searching for answers.

Jim   January 13th, 2009 715 GMT

Bill,

What i realized from you and your fellow bloggers that most of your statements are deceitfully wrong and bias. According to my texting i use logic and reasoning. please, stop spreading false rumors about what Hamas is doing and where hamas is fighting from or how they are fighting. You have no clue, not even some foreign journalists do . Maybe you hear this from the israeli spokepersons, but can you trust their claims.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 719 GMT

Jim, what exactly do you think Hamas is doing? Have you looked at the Hamas charter? Have you looked at the Hamas TV clips on youtube.

You are right not to take the word of the pro-Israel bloggers regarding the goals of Hamas. Look at what Hamas says its goals are.

Let me know if you want me to direct you to any links or videos - I'll be glad to. I'm not going to throw them up because I really beleive honestly objective people will get their own facts, and heaven knows, Hamas puts plenty of facts out there for all the world to see. They're easy to find.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 719 GMT

Jim – I've read and studied the history and I don't buy the "occupier" excuses for Islamic terrorism. The Jews have been on that land for thousand of years. In my opinion the Palestinians are just squatters on Israeli land. The real Palestinian homeland is in Jordan.

Israel is gracious enough to let the Palestinians live there, IF they will live in peace. So far, the Palestinians have shown that they are not capable of living in peace with Israel or even just themselves. It is so sad.

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 722 GMT

No Linda they are not and doesn't sound like yours are either. I believe in propaganda like most people you say?? Then enlighten me. There are no reporters in Gaza because Israel wouldn't allow them in -correct? Why is that? I believe the situation may actually worse than reported if you really want to know. I act as if I know for myself? No Linda- you are the one who claims everything is a lie because you know better, not me. I read the papers and watch TV and I know everything isn't always true but you can't deny what's going on.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 723 GMT

Jim -

Just because you don't accept the truth, doesn't mean that everybody else is lying or biased. Do the research yourself.

Hamas Human Shields:

Linda   January 13th, 2009 724 GMT

Bill, Interesting point": The Jews have been on that land for thousand of years.
I called my Step-father (he is a minister) and he and my mother looked it up. In bible times, Israel was larger then than it is now. I'm glad you brought that up

Bill   January 13th, 2009 724 GMT

Jim -

Hamas Killing Palestinians:

Bill   January 13th, 2009 726 GMT

Jim -

Do you trust your eyes and ears?

Jim   January 13th, 2009 726 GMT

Nona,

Does Hamas have a statement that they will use palestinians as human shields? And yes please direct me to some credible links that state Hamas's goals.

Bill   January 13th, 2009 728 GMT

Gotta work tomorrow (today).

Goodnight all!

Nona   January 13th, 2009 730 GMT

Bill, that's a good link and it's one of the kinder sides of Hamas. Anybody can go on youtube and search "Hamas television." It's really interesting to watch the official Hamas TV clips when you search "Hamas children's television" too. One of the kids shows is about a "heroic" Hamas child who takes over the White House, assassinates Bush and turns the White House into a mosque. Somebody tell me again that Hamas doesn't have designs on the US, that it's not a cell of al-Qaeda.

You can't be against al-Qaeda and pro-Hamas. The two just are not mutually exclusive. It's like saying you're against child abuse and claiming you have the right to beat your kid to death.

Zulfiqar Ali   January 13th, 2009 730 GMT

Dear Reader:

I am Shia Muslim from Pakistan and working as System Support Eng. I have done my Graduation in Computer Sience.

This has been observed that West and all English people are very sensitive and to me their sensivetiy makes them more voulnerable against their Politicians. I am also peacefull citizen of pakistan and I always wish that everyone should live independant has right to express and practice their bleifs. But, why that west has become so cruel agianst we all Muslims, just watch Gaza, what's going on there. You see, when you bruitlize and kill inocent people than what do you expect from them in return...?

G W Bush has completed his office time and if you have noticed him in his last news conference, he was so alone and ashamed infront of his own fellow men. We all along with (West) are not in fevour to let our Politicians kill inocent ones with their wrong decisions, but we all want peace around us.

So, please this is my humble request to you all to think over it.

Thanks.

Zulfiqar Ali
Pakistan.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 731 GMT

Will do, Jim. Give me a second.

Goodnite, Bill! See you soon!

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 732 GMT

Now I've heard it all Bill. Israel is gracious enough to "let" the Palestinians live there IF they live in peace under Israeli rule. Crap, no wonder this situation is so out of hand. I suppose you also believe they are gracious by allowing them to live at all. You make it sound like the Palestinians are to blame for all the problems in Gaza but most people are a little too well informed to believe that B.S. Better luck next time.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 733 GMT

IB,
You are not even making sense now.
I never said EVERYTHING was a lie, because I know better. What is wrong? Are you mad because someone might know just a little bit more about something than you do? Someone may have experience with matters that you do not?
And you said it yourself. There are no reporters in Gaza because Israel won't let them in. Well, then you do not have all of the information either. We have to take someone's word for it, and it depends on whether you want to take that word or not. I look at the evidence, and videos and pictures can be altered. They can also be made to look a certain way. If you do not see that, then I am sorry, but I try to look at everything with an open mind. and I am sick of people on the news trying to use children, that are already in a bad situation, to make people feel sorry for them. Those kids don't deserve it. They don't need to be flaunted around for the adults agenda.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 735 GMT

Night Bill!

JJdT   January 13th, 2009 736 GMT

Jim,
Logic and reasoning is objective and your postings are subjective. Your last posting shows your bias towards Hamas and any supporter of Hamas must be an extremist. Now, given that all the trouble in the world is caused by extremists, you must be a dunce. My conclusion is reached, at least in my book, by reasoning and logic! One man's logic and reasoning could easily be another man's confusion and delusions.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 738 GMT

Hamas Charter – Article Thirteen: Peaceful Solutions, [Peace] Initiatives and International Conferences: [Peace] initiatives, the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement.

http://middleeast.about.com/od/palestinepalestinians/a/me080106b_3.htm

Linda   January 13th, 2009 738 GMT

Nona,
Sorry, I guess I have just finally taken a stand on something tonight. I don't mean to be arguementative tonight. :)

Nona   January 13th, 2009 739 GMT

from the same article:

The initiatives, proposals and International Conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility. The Palestinian people are too noble to have their future, their right and their destiny submitted to a vain game.

cubfan   January 13th, 2009 740 GMT

Hamas, time to give up!
When Time magazine starts giving the facts on the ground instead of publishing liberal, anti Israeli, pro Palestinian, antiwar cover stories you know the end is near for Hamas. Time admits it over, Hamas the Bell tolls for you. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1871112,00.html

about time this left wing rag did some real reporting.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 741 GMT

You're not argumentative at all, Linda. You have good command of the facts and they are the basis for strong opinions.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 742 GMT

Hey Cubfan,
Did you see my question from earlier?

Nona   January 13th, 2009 742 GMT

My personal favorite part of the Hamas Charter, however, is Article 17, aboutthe rights of women, where the Rotary Club and Freemasons are referred to as "a gang of spies" and "nests of sabatours." Looking for it ...

Linda   January 13th, 2009 744 GMT

Nona,
I just want people to look at everything objectively. I think I'm asking to much.
Well, I'm going to bed. I need to get some sleep.

All of you have a great night, I'll see you sometime tomorrow :)

Nona   January 13th, 2009 744 GMT

"The enemies...realize that if they can guide and educate [the Muslim women] in a way that would distance them from Islam, they would have won that war. Therefore, you can see them making consistent efforts [in that direction] by way of publicity and movies, curricula of education and culture, using as their intermediaries their craftsmen who are part of the various Zionist Organizations which take on all sorts of names and shapes such as: the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, gangs of spies and the like. All of them are nests of saboteurs and sabotage. Those Zionist organizations control vast material resources, which enable them to fulfill their mission amidst societies, with a view of implementing Zionist goals and sowing the concepts that can be of use to the enemy.

Linda   January 13th, 2009 744 GMT

Nona,
I just want people to look at everything objectively. I think I'm asking to much.
Well, I'm going to bed. I need to get some sleep.

All of you have a great night, I'll see you sometime tomorrow :)

Nona   January 13th, 2009 744 GMT

Hi Cubfan!

Nona   January 13th, 2009 747 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUrAN5z7bm8

Above links to the Hamas kids show where the heroic Hamas kid assassinates Bush and turns the White House into a mosque.

Sos   January 13th, 2009 748 GMT

I have studied this ongoing conflict and found its the fault of USA to push for an election that undoubtedly will bring Hamas to power, Hamas won a fair election, later on Israel sealed-off Gaza and started to to starve the people of Gaza, until Israel broke the six month cease fire in a pretext of attacking the tunnel which Israel claim that Hamas is using to smuggle weapons – they maybe right here – but Israel is wrong on breaking the ceasefire which was holding for six month, then later on Hamas wanted to renew the ceasefire but Israel wants to element Hamas once and for good.

Hamas charter like the PLO charter – before it was emended- dosnt recognize Israel and Israel dosnt want to deal with Hamas, with the charter or without, Isreal wont deal with Hamas but prefer to deal with Fatah under Abbas who is like a puppet in the hand of America and Israel, now Abbas talks very badly of the resistance "Hamas" and if election is held any time now Fatah will lose and Hamas will win.

What is the exit then, keeping on mind that Hamas is a very bad choice, the only leader who can rally all Palestinians around him is held at the Israeli Jail named Marwan Barghoti , who is a fatah member.

I.B. Wright   January 13th, 2009 751 GMT

Don't twist my words Linda. You know what I said and no I'm not mad or jealous of you because you think you re so much better informed than I am on this subject. The fact of the matter is you are neither better informed nor are you more experienced so let's try to be little less condescending. You are the one who claims the media reports are wrong, not me. If you are so much more experienced and knowledgeable than I am, then you should accept my invitation to enlighten me with facts. Until then I believe most of what see and what I see makes me sick , even if only half of it is true.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 751 GMT

Hamas's response to the controversial Danish cartoon? A kid's show that teaches kids, "Don't eat Danish products. Eat the Danes! Kill them!"

GLeigh   January 13th, 2009 752 GMT

After reading this cite for days, off and on, I have to sadly say there will never be a real peace. The goal of the Palestinians is to wipe out Israel and take the land. Israel is not Darfur, They won't be quietly exterminated. The best outcome would be a cease fire and outside monitors to help keep the peace. One of my friends is from the Mid East. His mom teaches English as a Second Language in a high school. She has to take a taxi or have her husband drive her because she's not allowed to drive a car. My kiddies drove at 15. That's the culture which is fine. But, I think that if women were equal partners the violence of men would be tempered. Women tend to be the kinder half.

Nona   January 13th, 2009 757 GMT

Sos says, "I have studied this ongoing conflict and found its the fault of USA to push for an election that undoubtedly will bring Hamas to power, Hamas won a fair election."

I completely agree. It was a complete bungling. I think one question we'll all have to face in the war on terror is whether democracy is really the answer we've always thought it was. There are some terrible despots in the world, and some that might be a better alternative to the U.S. than Hamas is. I agree Hamas was democratically elected, but that doesn't legitimize them in my eyes. It just means that there are groups out there that believe in the Hamas-al Qaeda-Taliban-Iran-Hezbollah axis and will elect them, or that these groups can engineer elections as well as Putin can.

Anyway, I'm tired, but I thank you all for a stimulating discussion. I am pro-Israel but most of all pro-peace, and my pro-Israel stance does not mean that I do not feel great sadness for the terrors that the people of Gaza are enduring because of the Hamas's thirst for blood.

Good night, all.

cubfan   January 13th, 2009 804 GMT

Yea, Linda
Syria and Iran need to be punished for killing Americans in Iraq and enabling terrorists to kill Israelis. America is still on a holy crusade to crush its enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan and there is no escape for the Taliban now that Obama wants to increase troop levels in Afghanistan and unleash hell on the Taliban.

We might as well go after the source and pound Iran and Syria back to the Stone Age. Bush made a huge mistake by not allowing the IDF to bomb the Iranian nuclear infrastructure. Bush has made too many mistakes to count but this one has put the whole world in jeopardy.

The only way to defeat terrorists to kill every last one of them the same way the world eliminated small pox. We need to chase their unholy bodies to the end of the earth if need be. If you do not crush them, they just declare victory, become more popular, powerful, muliply and continue on their merry way , trying to kill you.

That is why the French and the rest of Europe are morons.

GLeigh   January 13th, 2009 815 GMT

Fighting the war on terror is hard because the radicals mix among the regular citizens who work and just want to raise their kids. I think Europe is hoping that everyone learns, eventually, to get along without bombing and war. I'm not sure that's going to ever happen. Hopefully there are less brutal ways to stop terrorists. I'm not sure if there are or what they are, but I think Europe needs to step in and help resolve it as do some of the other countries.

GLeigh   January 13th, 2009 818 GMT

G'night all. Had to take some tylenol because I pulled something in my back today. It's just age... Hope everyone gets to be an old one, especially the future generations in that area of the world.

Ashley   January 13th, 2009 825 GMT

I have no words left. This is MURDER of innocent people stuck in a bad situation. We can not do anything because the one killing them is our friend?

Our friend is saying they are evil & crazy, but they have no one else to save them! They are poor, geographically alienated from the world. Our friend is controlling what they eat, how they move about in their own neighborhood, and uses force without ay accountability. Our friend is also taking over these people's houses, making them homeless.

Now our friend is bombing their refugee camps. No matter who these people are and what they are like they have never cause us Americans any harm. They are to be pitied not feared are their biggest problem is survival. We give money to our friend so he can buy the weapons to kill these people.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH US? Should we not help these people? If not that then AT LEAST SHOULD WE NOT BREAK OFF THIS FRIENDSHIP WITH ISRAEL?

Professor   January 13th, 2009 849 GMT

Ashley,

If we do not pressure our government to break off this friendship with the murderers then we become an accomplice to this crime against humanity.

Professor   January 13th, 2009 851 GMT

Its the occupation stupid.

Professor   January 13th, 2009 907 GMT

Fighting Bush's war on terror proved to be that he was a liar and a crook and the only terrorist was Bush and his gang. Any one who want to follow his steps and continue his wae is nothing but a crook, a liar and a criminal terrorist.

miriam   January 13th, 2009 926 GMT

Prof,

Once again. The Arabs initiated the war in 1967 when they were occupying Gaza and the West Bank, former territories of the British Mandate.The Arabs lost the territory.

In 1947, the Arabs rejected the UN resolution to form a potential Palestinian state and prefered to attack and annihilate the Jews who who lived in the potential Jewish state (and those who lived in the potential Palestinian state). The Arabs lost that war too.

It's not the 'occupation'.

emoas   January 13th, 2009 932 GMT

http://www.urtheworld.com/#/story/34/0/TOP

The straw that broke the Camel’s Back

January 2009. Paris, France is attacked by Terrorists. Does anyone think that President Sarkozy or the French government would know how to deal with this? Probably Sarkozy would decide to negotiate with the terrorists – yet when there are riots in Paris, President Sarkozy sends in the police and the army to suppress citizens and some of them have been killed. I wonder what President Sarkozy’s decision would be if eight thousand missiles were launched on Paris.
When Georgia attached Russian citizens, Russia immediately went into full military operation against Georgia and killed innocent citizens, and this is not including what Russia did to Chechnyan people. I wonder again what would happen if eight thousand missiles were launched onto Russian soil because this goes beyond my imagination.

The United States of America had the very sad chapter of September 11th, this was horrible and unacceptable and immediately and without any hesitation, the government sent American soldiers against Afghanistan and Iraq and killed a whole generation of people in those two countries in the fight against terrorism but no UN resolution was passed to stop this.

When England was attacked in World War 2, they attacked every city in Germany, many innocent citizens were killed in these attacks. No one dwells on these pieces of history. I cannot imagine if this kind of incident happened in a Muslim country like Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Turkey, what they would do to oppress the country who attacks them and their citizens.

But when Israel is attacked, the whole world blames Israel for defending itself against terrorism. No country in the world would allow their citizens to be human shields. All the world leaders like to give pretty heartfelt speeches, shake hands and look united as “fellow men” for the photographs, and they all declare the need to fight terrorism, but when it is time for actions to speak louder than words, all these leaders shun away from their declarations of war on terrorism.

The whole world declared Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations and no one has done anything to combat these terrorist organizations and the world leaders have become sentimentally attached to these terrorists. When Israel is surrounded by terrorist countries who want to destroy Israel the world turns against Israel. Israel must continue to destroy the terrorist from the roots with no conditions permitted. Israel will not negotiate with any terrorist organization in the world. Israel never requests help from other countries and relies on the virtue of the IDF (Israeli Army) which is the best in the world to do the job and no other army comes close to doing their job, the job of fighting terrorism on a daily basis in the best way. The politicians in Israel need to stop concerning themselves with their seats getting cold if they lose their position. They need to give full authorisation to the IDF to complete their job against the Hamas terrorists or any other terrorist organization that threatens Israel so that the whole world, without exception, will understand that Israel fights terrorism for its survival and the IDF does the job that other leaders only talk about doing but actually do nothing to combat terrorism.

Israel is the only Jewish State, and we have only one Jewish State which we will not give up under any circumstances and we will fight for the right to live here and we will prevail. I am sending a clear message in this article to all those who are interviewed on CNN, BBC, etc, the so called Palestinian representatives, Annie Lennox, and many other trying to show the world that they are concerned about the Palestinian citizens. They are 100% right that citizens need to be excluded from his conflict, but when Hamas or any other organization uses citizens as hostages and human shields, there is no choice. When Israel allows humanitarian aid to pass to the Palestinian people and we find out that Hamas took all the aid and did not deliver to the Palestinian people, why is the world angry with Israel? And not blaming the Hamas terrorists?

Yesterday the 8th January 2009 the United Nations passed a resolution, a one sided resolution, for an immediate ceasefire by Israel without mentioning the terrorist organization Hamas and without requesting Hamas to stop the endless missile attacks on Israel, so where is this declaration of war on terrorism that the whole world has committed itself to? And where are our allies and in particular the United States of America who did not Vito the resolution? With friends like this we don’t need enemies.

I will end this article with the very powerful words that were spoken by the ex Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu

“If the Arabs (terrorists) put down their arms the war will end, If Israel puts down its arms Israel will be destroyed”

http://www.urtheworld.com/#/video/1562/0/SEARCH

Nadeem   January 13th, 2009 948 GMT

Countries that supply weapons to ISRAEL have got to stop!!!

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1023 GMT

Miriam,

Its the occupation stupid.......... :)

So, what Iraq lost the war so does that give the right to the United States to occupy Iraq?

What a stupid comment but I did not expexct any different from you....

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1112 GMT

I guess all the cowards ran away here just like their heros (IOF) are running away from the brave Palestinian fighters.

ME observer   January 13th, 2009 1154 GMT

The article states: “Countries that supply weapons to Hamas have got to stop,” Bush said.

This is only one part of the equation. Yes, Qassams need to stop. But, Arabs after 40 years of Occupation need assured rights and freedoms. Yesterday, Israel announced banning its Arab political parties from the elections. That is the only area where Arabs have had relatively normal human rights. Those are always contingent on them agree with Israel, hence denying them the right, and outlet, to even peacefully articulate dissent as it their right through the social contract of democracy.

CS   January 13th, 2009 1201 GMT

Hey Professor:)
Good to have another mentally unbonded person to relate to here..hopefully you're still around. Sometimes I feel like most of these people want genocide, and don't care because it does not affect them.
If they're American, they don't know how it feels to have war on their own grounds, if they're British, they will run behind the American forces just like the puppet Tony Blair did, and if they're Israeli they THINK they're superior, and that Geneva does not apply. The Jews are mostly saying that there have been 6000, and 11000 rockets fired into Israel, but look at the death toll, what, like 14 Israelis killed. Not to make light of civilians being killed, because it's wrong, and I disagree with the way Hamas does things, but look what has been done to the Palestinian people over the last 2 years:

After 2006, there were the blockades, limiting, sometimes completely preventing daily necessities (food, water,medical supplies) from being delivered. This caused alot of people to die from otherwise easily curable or preventable illnesses. The lack of chlorine for water purification allowed more disease to attack the people.

Next; Palestinians have had an Israeli foot on its neck since 2006 (1948 if you wanna be exact). They cannot move freely from Gaza to West Bank. Imagine having family in Alaska, and Canada telling you you cannot pass!

Next; Israel broke the cease fire, not once but twice (which the Jewish run media is reluctant to cover) Once immediately following the signing of the agreement where 3 Hamas members were killed in a Israeli led incursion. And again in November when they launched another incursion into Gaza, this time killing 7 Hamas soldiers. Where was Bush then? Why was he not saying over and over "Israel has to stop invaing Gaza?" But when Gaza retaliates for these things, then I have to look at his face on TV telling us that "Hamas needs to stop firing rockets into Israel." What hypocracy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1205 GMT

I know I totally agree with you the Israelis wants a genocide.

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1208 GMT

ME Observer,

What do you mean 40 years of occupation?.... What about the 20 years before that?

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1211 GMT

I agree, “Countries that supply weapons to Israel have got to stop,”

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1213 GMT

Its the occupation stupids......................

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1220 GMT

hey CS,

don't you find these people to be very stupid?.... after the whole world saw how Bush was liar.... and he dragged the US name into the mudd.... now Israelis wants to follow his foot steps.... what a bunch of idiots.

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1222 GMT

The sad thing is that what Israel is doing will affect every jew.... because its doing what its doing in the name of Judaism.... I feel sorry for the Jews who will not stand up against this satanic cancer.

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1231 GMT

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC DOCUMENT

AI Index: IOR 41/004/2009

Check against delivery

UN Human Rights Council

Ninth Special Session

12 January 2009

Amnesty International

Mr. President,

Despite the Security Council's near unanimous adoption of resolution 1860 last Thursday, a human catastrophe continues to unfold in Gaza, where some 1.5 million civilians are trapped and exposed to death and destruction. In the first 12 days of conflict more than 670 Palestinians were killed, many of them civilians including scores of children, and approximately 3,000 Palestinians were injured in Israeli attacks. In the same period, rocket attacks by Palestinian armed groups killed four Israelis, including three civilians, and injured other civilians in southern Israel. The violence continues; the death toll of civilians in Gaza is mounting alarmingly.

As the UN body with primary responsibility for the protection of human rights, this Council must demand that all parties to the current conflict - Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups - immediately end all unlawful attacks against civilians and other serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. It must demand measures to relieve civilians in Gaza and an end to the indiscriminate rocket attacks that endanger civilians in southern Israel.

This Council must call on Israel to allow human rights and humanitarian workers and journalists immediate unfettered access to Gaza. Their presence is needed urgently to independently assess humanitarian needs and report on the situation there, including violations of international law.

Prima facie evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity is emerging daily. This Council must not ignore it. It must use its authority to call for an urgent and thorough independent and impartial investigation. It must call for perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international law to be held to account. This Council should play a substantial role in ensuring that such an investigation is established without delay and is carried out by a body composed of suitably experienced independent experts of acknowledged integrity. They must be adequately resourced and be ready to deploy to the conflict areas as soon as security conditions permit.

There must be full accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Where appropriate, states must be ready to initiate criminal investigations and carry out prosecutions before their own courts if the evidence warrants it.

This Council must also insist on the dispatch to the area without delay of international monitors fully mandated to investigate and report on any ongoing abuses of human rights or international humanitarian law by any of the parties to the conflict. It must commit to taking appropriate action in response to reports of such abuses.

Mr. President,

The grave transgressions of human rights and international humanitarian law which so conspicuously characterize this conflict must cease.

We understand that this Council will adopt a resolution that will address many of Amnesty International's recommendations. However, we also understand that this will be a voted resolution is likely. A failure of this Council to act unanimously to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the related serious violations of human rights and international human rights will be a stain on this Council and on those delegations that have stood in the way of this Council acting as one.

Thank you Mr. President.

Professor   January 13th, 2009 1256 GMT

I think the Israeli puppits are having a meeting to figure out what can they say now to defend the murders the IOF are commeting against unarmed innocent civilian Palestinians.

miriam   January 13th, 2009 1331 GMT

Prof,

There's a big difference between Iraq and the West Bank and Gaza.
Iraq is a sovereign state.
The West Bank and Gaza were not sovereign states when Israel won control of them in war fro Egypt ang Jordan. The application of certain international laws based on the 4th Geneva Convention are not relevent. However, Israel does make every effort to abide by the laws.

It is not possible to take seriously any comments, resolutions or decisions made by these organisations that you quote.
They can produce pages and pages of critism towards Israel, with a few lines generally refering to other parties.
No mention of Hamas firing from civilian neighbourhoods, storing weapons in homes,mosques and hopitals, executing Fatah supporters, hiding in hospitals, ambulances and schools, booby-trapping homes and schools, firing on humanitarian convoys, stealing humanitarian aid for their own private hospitals and bunkers, threatening aid workers and civilians etc. In fact, not abiding by any international laws.

The members of these rights organisations are mostly a bunch of fanatic, militant, left-wing supporters of terrorism.

amber   January 13th, 2009 1445 GMT

now bush has a plan to attack another muslim country woaw im waiting for my country's turn bc iraq than iran than egypt than pakistan...:) as simple as that whose turn is that jordan or stand up and bow ur head they can easily destroy your country and save one jew inside your country..:) too good man

the one   January 13th, 2009 1458 GMT

We in Israel must win this war. we are the chosen people of God. And nobody will stop us. the way is already paved...so all you morons argue with yourselves...America is nothing anymore.thanks for the help though..your economy is dead and you have no say.who gave us the weapons to kill the palestinians?bunch of hypocrites!!it is your weapons.we must rebuild the temple at all costs.

CS   January 13th, 2009 1516 GMT

First to professor: Yes, I find some of the people whoblindly support governments and leaders to be very stupid. I'm an American, and I will proudly admit that our president has committed crimes against humanity. In fact, in a recent interview, in his own way..I think he admitted it too.

Next to Miriam:
1st of all, Israel never won Palestine from it's people. You said yourself that Palestine was not a soveign state. Some of us also Research enough to find out that Palestine had no formal military (as it does not today), so how can a war be fought if 1. there's no "sovereign" nation to fight against, and 2. The people being opressed have no real means of self defense.

2nd of all, Iraq and Palestine are somewhat similar in terms of defense capability. They are still underdeveloped. This is exactly why weak bullies pick on them. You don't see anybody running to attack Iran, Korea, China, or Russia, do you? And for all tough talk that Israel and the U.S. do toward Iran, I can bet that the only way Iran will be attacked is if Iran attacks first. And even that will be an attempt to send a message of how "tough" Israel is. Israel has been poking and proding at Iran for a good while now. And If they don't slow their roll down, they will get a rude awakening sooner rather than later.

CS   January 13th, 2009 1528 GMT

The one. Ishould be calling you "the one idiot" If you know scripture, You will know that men will attempt to rebuild the temple, but the true temple will be delivered by the almighty himself. YOU ARE AN IDIOT.
If Jews are the chosen people, than why have sooo many of those in the Old Testament repeatedly went to sin against God in THE worst way by worshiping the likes of Baal, and doing things like beasteality back in Soddam and Gomorah. Your people are not special. Just regular sinners just like the rest of the worl. Many of us just choose to admit it. Some of us try to repent. But fools like you have too much vanity to change your ways. I'm perfectly fine with YOU BEING AN IDIOT. Does nothing to affect my life.
Now, to every one else here...this post that THE ONE idiot just posted proves that...for the most part, Jews think they're superior, and therefore have no obligation to obide by the rules, or treat people with the same respect that they would expect.
In fact. I'll say this. I do not agree with any group killing or doing terrible things in the name of God.
My brother...you just proclaimed yourself an extremist TERRORIST. Thanks for helping me prove my point...IDIOT:)

the one   January 13th, 2009 1610 GMT

cs, its cool man but you'd see what i'm talking about.who is the super power in the world? rice was told not to vote because olmert said so.bush was ordered by olmert.are we a superpower?...yes because we're such a small country in the middle of the arab/muslim world kicking them up.that's power.its not numbers bro, god give the power.we're small but powerful.admit it or ask bush who runs the economy in america?

the one   January 13th, 2009 1631 GMT

oh and i'm the one idiot whose message will come to pass.how am i so smart? who was responsible for 9/11? bin laden? no you're wrong but only olmert and bush knows d answer.too bad and tooo late. oh and poor obama..whose gonna listen to him? he too will listen to israel else ur economy will collapse...get that

CS   January 13th, 2009 1639 GMT

Okay...dude:) First of all, we import most of our goods from China, we also borrow the most money from China. And, to be honest, I really don't care who the superpower is. Even though your little country needs to whine to the U.S. when it need moral support, military support, and bombs, bullets, tanks, pretty much everything. What type of rifle do your infantrymen carry? I beleive it's the A.R./ aka m-16.
Even though everybody knows the ak-47 is a more reliable gun...but I bigress.
Let's stick to the subject. Did God bless your people so much that he allowed the Holocaust to happen? And are the European Jews the REAL Israelites, or were they brown skinned people fromNorth Africa and Ethiopia? Not to say that the almighty God does not love us all..because I believe he does. But this issue of "chosen people" is getting a little tired.
And the only reason, as I said earlier, that Israel can bully Palestine, is because she is an underdeveloped nation. What just happened in Lebanon? HHMMM?:( Let Israel try a formidable opponent. Then we'll see. But we probably won't see, because cowards choose their battles wisely. What glory does a large man get from bullying a defenseless smaller aponent? Where I come from...you get no stripes for that.

CS   January 13th, 2009 1649 GMT

Well the great and powerful Oz has spoken. I can see the limit to your mental capacity, so I'll try to use small words. Try to keep up. This blog is not for war mongering boasters, who want to promote more violence. It is about this crisis that your country started. Were your people so cocky and confident when they were being run into those chambers? Who had to come to your aid. And it's quite fitting that now that you're on your feet, you think you're God's gift. Sadly mistaken.
Oh yeah. Take not. When speaking of the Almighty in the written form, take note of the bible. When discussing THE one and only God, we use upper cased letters (that means big ones) When refering to Baal, and golden calfs, and other such malarky that your people have worshiped over the ages...we should use the lower case (that means the small letters). IDIOT.

rr   January 13th, 2009 1900 GMT

what about this quote?you can find in the Quran that closest to the muslims are those who call themselves christians and also that the Christians cry when they hear the word of the Lord because they are men that are devoted to learning and they renown the world of sin which is what all the true christians will do right now

Dan McCarthy   January 13th, 2009 2245 GMT

If there ever was any doubt that US Middle East policy is made in Tel Aviv or by the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), it is totally dispelled by Mark Landler’s article “Olmert says he made Rice change vote”. ( N Y Times, 1/13/2009 page A11), Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Condoleezza Rice had been forced to abstain from a UN resolution on Gaza that she helped draft and that the US “fully supports”.

After Mr. Olmert placed a phone call to President Bush he was quoted as saying: “I said ‘Get me President Bush on the phone’”…”They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn’t care: I need to talk to him now,’” Mr Olmert continued. He got off the podium and spoke to me.”

Mr. Olmert claimed that once he made his case to Mr. Bush, the president called Ms. Rice and told her to abstain.

Obviously Mr. Bush is more afraid of the Prime Minister of Israel than he was of the 9/11 terrorists who couldn’t interrupt his elementary school reading class.

Is there any wonder no one in the world sees us as an honest broker in the Middle East ?

GLeigh   January 13th, 2009 2355 GMT

Hi all. I see there is still pleasant conversation to figure out the peace solution.... Though some just want Israel gone, wiped out. They've told me the past four days. I'm not either side. I've been burnt for that too, being neutral.. I want Israel to exist and Gaza, with a better standard of living, and world peace.
Hey Professor – I see you are still spewing hatred. Nice seeing you again.

I.B. Wright   January 14th, 2009 132 GMT

Dan McCarthy- I think you hit the nail on the head. The U.S. is the only party that can force a peace settlement in the Middle East but that would require putting pressure on Israel which for some reason they can't or won't.

GLeigh -I agree with most of what you say except for one thing. Some may want to wipe out Israel but I've heard enough crap about wiping out Hamas, Iran and Syria from the other side so if you are promoting peace, you need to include both sides.

azy   January 14th, 2009 722 GMT

There are always two side, one is good and other is evil. One is right and other is wrong. One is peace maker and the other is destroyer. One is truth and other is false. One stand for right and justice other stand for wrong and injustice. USA act like good, right, just and peace maker but they are the one doing the greatest injustice in the world. USA says they dont support terrorists but Israel is the greatest terrorist nation in the world. And they suport it. May God destory the evil and unjust and punish them same way they did to the others.

blood is red   January 14th, 2009 814 GMT

The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy

by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt
The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy

John J. Mearsheimer
Department of Political Science
University of Chicago

Stephen M. Walt
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University

March 2006
RWP06-011

The two authors of this Working Paper are solely responsible for the views expressed in it. As academic institutions, Harvard University and the University of Chicago do not take positions on the scholarship of the individual faculty, and this article not should be interpreted or portrayed as reflecting the official position of either institution. It is reprinted on Antiwar.com with permission.

An edited and reworked version of this paper was published in the London Review of Books Vol. 28, No. 6 (March 23, 2006), and is available online at http://www.lrb.co.uk.

THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

U.S. foreign policy shapes events in every corner of the globe. Nowhere is this truer than in the Middle East, a region of recurring instability and enormous strategic importance. Most recently, the Bush Administration’s attempt to transform the region into a community of democracies has helped produce a resilient insurgency in Iraq, a sharp rise in world oil prices, and terrorist bombings in Madrid, London, and Amman. With so much at stake for so many, all countries need to understand the forces that drive U.S. Middle East policy.

The U.S. national interest should be the primary object of American foreign policy. For the past several decades, however, and especially since the Six Day War in 1967, the centerpiece of U.S. Middle East policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering U.S. support for Israel and the related effort to spread democracy throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardized U.S. security.

This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the United States been willing to set aside its own security in order to advance the interests of another state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries is based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives. As we show below, however, neither of those explanations can account for the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the United States provides to Israel.

Instead, the overall thrust of U.S. policy in the region is due almost entirely to U.S. domestic politics, and especially to the activities of the "Israel Lobby." Other special interest groups have managed to skew U.S. foreign policy in directions they favored, but no lobby has managed to divert U.S. foreign policy as far from what the American national interest would otherwise suggest, while simultaneously convincing Americans that U.S. and Israeli interests are essentially identical.1

In the pages that follow, we describe how the Lobby has accomplished this feat, and how its activities have shaped America’s actions in this critical region. Given the strategic importance of the Middle East and its potential impact on others, both Americans and non-Americans need to understand and address the Lobby’s influence on U.S. policy.

Some readers will find this analysis disturbing, but the facts recounted here are not in serious dispute among scholars. Indeed, our account relies heavily on the work of Israeli scholars and journalists, who deserve great credit for shedding light on these issues. We also rely on evidence provided by respected Israeli and international human rights organizations. Similarly, our claims about the Lobby’s impact rely on testimony from the Lobby’s own members, as well as testimony from politicians who have worked with them. Readers may reject our conclusions, of course, but the evidence on which they rest is not controversial.

THE GREAT BENEFACTOR

Since the October War in 1973, Washington has provided Israel with a level of support dwarfing the amounts provided to any other state. It has been the largest annual recipient of direct U.S. economic and military assistance since 1976 and the largest total recipient since World War II. Total direct U.S. aid to Israel amounts to well over $140 billion in 2003 dollars.2 Israel receives about $3 billion in direct foreign assistance each year, which is roughly one-fifth of America’s foreign aid budget. In per capita terms, the United States gives each Israeli a direct subsidy worth about $500 per year.3 This largesse is especially striking when one realizes that Israel is now a wealthy industrial state with a per capita income roughly equal to South Korea or Spain.4

Israel also gets other special deals from Washington.5 Other aid recipients get their money in quarterly installments, but Israel receives its entire appropriation at the beginning of each fiscal year and thus earns extra interest. Most recipients of American military assistance are required to spend all of it in the United States, but Israel can use roughly twenty-five percent of its aid allotment to subsidize its own defense industry. Israel is the only recipient that does not have to account for how the aid is spent, an exemption that makes it virtually impossible to prevent the money from being used for purposes the United States opposes, like building settlements in the West Bank.

Moreover, the United States has provided Israel with nearly $3 billion to develop weapons systems like the Lavi aircraft that the Pentagon did not want or need, while giving Israel access to top-drawer U.S. weaponry like Blackhawk helicopters and F-16 jets. Finally, the United States gives Israel access to intelligence that it denies its NATO allies and has turned a blind eye towards Israel’s acquisition of nuclear weapons.6

In addition, Washington provides Israel with consistent diplomatic support. Since 1982, the United States has vetoed 32 United Nations Security Council resolutions that were critical of Israel, a number greater than the combined total of vetoes cast by all the other Security Council members.7 It also blocks Arab states’ efforts to put Israel’s nuclear arsenal on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s agenda.8

The United States also comes to Israel’s rescue in wartime and takes its side when negotiating peace. The Nixon Administration re-supplied Israel during the October War and protected Israel from the threat of Soviet intervention. Washington was deeply involved in the negotiations that ended that war as well as the lengthy "step-by-step" process that followed, just as it played a key role in the negotiations that preceded and followed the 1993 Oslo Accords.9 There were occasional frictions between U.S. and Israeli officials in both cases, but the United States coordinated its positions closely with Israel and consistently backed the Israeli approach to the negotiations. Indeed, one American participant at Camp David (2000) later said, "far too often, we functioned . . . as Israel’s lawyer."10

As discussed below, Washington has given Israel wide latitude in dealing with the occupied territories (the West Bank and Gaza Strip), even when its actions were at odds with stated U.S. policy. Moreover, the Bush Administration’s ambitious strategy to transform the Middle East – beginning with the invasion of Iraq – is at least partly intended to improve Israel’s strategic situation. Apart from wartime alliances, it is hard to think of another instance where one country has provided another with a similar level of material and diplomatic support for such an extended period. America’s support for Israel is, in short, unique.

This extraordinary generosity might be understandable if Israel were a vital strategic asset or if there were a compelling moral case for sustained U.S. backing. But neither rationale is convincing.

A STRATEGIC LIABILITY

According to the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) website, "the United States and Israel have formed a unique partnership to meet the growing strategic threats in the Middle East . . . . This cooperative effort provides significant benefits for both the United States and Israel."11 This claim is an article of faith among Israel’s supporters and is routinely invoked by Israeli politicians and pro-Israel Americans.

Israel may have been a strategic asset during the Cold War.12 By serving as America’s proxy after the Six Day War (1967), Israel helped contain Soviet expansion in the region and inflicted humiliating defeats on Soviet clients like Egypt and Syria. Israel occasionally helped protect other U.S. allies (like Jordan’s King Hussein) and its military prowess forced Moscow to spend more backing its losing clients. Israel also gave the United States useful intelligence about Soviet capabilities.

Israel’s strategic value during this period should not be overstated, however.13 Backing Israel was not cheap, and it complicated America’s relations with the Arab world. For example, the U.S. decision to give Israel $2.2 billion in emergency military aid during the October War triggered an OPEC oil embargo that inflicted considerable damage on Western economies. Moreover, Israel’s military could not protect U.S. interests in the region. For example, the United States could not rely on Israel when the Iranian Revolution in 1979 raised concerns about the security of Persian Gulf oil supplies, and had to create its own "Rapid Deployment Force" instead.

Even if Israel was a strategic asset during the Cold War, the first Gulf War (1990- 91) revealed that Israel was becoming a strategic burden. The United States could not use Israeli bases during the war without rupturing the anti-Iraq coalition, and it had to divert resources (e.g., Patriot missile batteries) to keep Tel Aviv from doing anything that might fracture the alliance against Saddam. History repeated itself in 2003: although Israel was eager for the United States to attack Saddam, President Bush could not ask it to help without triggering Arab opposition. So Israel stayed on the sidelines again.14

Beginning in the 1990s, and especially after 9/11, U.S. support for Israel has been justified by the claim that both states are threatened by terrorist groups originating in the Arab or Muslim world, and by a set of "rogue states" that back these groups and seek WMD. This rationale implies that Washington should give Israel a free hand in dealing with the Palestinians and not press Israel to make concessions until all Palestinian terrorists are imprisoned or dead. It also implies that the United States should go after countries like the Islamic Republic of Iran, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, and Bashar al-Assad’s Syria. Israel is thus seen as a crucial ally in the war on terror, because its enemies are America’s enemies. This new rationale seems persuasive, but Israel is in fact a liability in the war on terror and the broader effort to deal with rogue states.

To begin with, "terrorism" is a tactic employed by a wide array of political groups; it is not a single unified adversary. The terrorist organizations that threaten Israel (e.g., Hamas or Hezbollah) do not threaten the United States, except when it intervenes against them (as in Lebanon in 1982). Moreover, Palestinian terrorism is not random violence directed against Israel or "the West"; it is largely a response to Israel’s prolonged campaign to colonize the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

More importantly, saying that Israel and the United States are united by a shared terrorist threat has the causal relationship backwards: rather, the United States has a terrorism problem in good part because it is so closely allied with Israel, not the other way around. U.S. support for Israel is not the only source of anti- American terrorism, but it is an important one, and it makes winning the war on terror more difficult.15 There is no question, for example, that many al Qaeda leaders, including bin Laden, are motivated by Israel’s presence in Jerusalem and the plight of the Palestinians. According to the U.S. 9/11 Commission, bin Laden explicitly sought to punish the United States for its policies in the Middle East, including its support for Israel, and he even tried to time the attacks to highlight this issue.16

Equally important, unconditional U.S. support for Israel makes it easier for extremists like bin Laden to rally popular support and to attract recruits. Public opinion polls confirm that Arab populations are deeply hostile to American support for Israel, and the U.S. State Department’s Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim world found that "citizens in these countries are genuinely distressed at the plight of the Palestinians and at the role they perceive the United States to be playing."17

As for so-called rogue states in the Middle East, they are not a dire threat to vital U.S. interests, apart from the U.S. commitment to Israel itself. Although the United States does have a number of disagreements with these regimes, Washington would not be nearly as worried about Iran, Ba’thist Iraq, or Syria were it not so closely tied to Israel. Even if these states acquire nuclear weapons – which is obviously not desirable – it would not be a strategic disaster for the United States. Neither America nor Israel could be blackmailed by a nuclear-armed rogue, because the blackmailer could not carry out the threat without receiving overwhelming retaliation. The danger of a "nuclear handoff" to terrorists is equally remote, because a rogue state could not be sure the transfer would be undetected or that it would not be blamed and punished afterwards.

Furthermore, the U.S. relationship with Israel actually makes it harder to deal with these states. Israel’s nuclear arsenal is one reason why some of its neighbors want nuclear weapons, and threatening these states with regime change merely increases that desire. Yet Israel is not much of an asset when the United States contemplates using force against these regimes, because it cannot participate in the fight.

In short, treating Israel as America’s most important ally in the campaign against terrorism and assorted Middle East dictatorships both exaggerates Israel’s ability to help on these issues and ignores the ways that Israel’s policies make U.S. efforts more difficult.

Unquestioned support for Israel also weakens the U.S. position outside the Middle East. Foreign elites consistently view the United States as too supportive of Israel, and think its tolerance of Israeli repression in the occupied territories is morally obtuse and a handicap in the war on terrorism.18 In April 2004, for example, 52 former British diplomats sent Prime Minister Tony Blair a letter saying that the Israel-Palestine conflict had "poisoned relations between the West and the Arab and Islamic worlds," and warning that the policies of Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon were "one-sided and illegal."19

A final reason to question Israel’s strategic value is that it does not act like a loyal ally. Israeli officials frequently ignore U.S. requests and renege on promises made to top U.S. leaders (including past pledges to halt settlement construction and to refrain from "targeted assassinations" of Palestinian leaders).20 Moreover, Israel has provided sensitive U.S. military technology to potential U.S. rivals like China, in what the U.S. State Department Inspector-General called "a systematic and growing pattern of unauthorized transfers."21 According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, Israel also "conducts the most aggressive espionage operations against the U.S. of any ally."22 In addition to the case of Jonathan Pollard, who gave Israel large quantities of classified material in the early 1980s (which Israel reportedly passed onto the Soviet Union to gain more exit visas for Soviet Jews), a new controversy erupted in 2004 when it was revealed that a key Pentagon official (Larry Franklin) had passed classified information to an Israeli diplomat, allegedly aided by two AIPAC officials.23 Israel is hardly the only country that spies on the United States, but its willingness to spy on its principal patron casts further doubt on its strategic value.

blood is red   January 14th, 2009 1105 GMT

Israel doesn’t want a democratic independent Palestinian state without Hamas. If this was possible then not any excuse valid for the Israelis to stop Palestinians asking for their rights and what lawfully belong to them .Also in absolute freedom they will be able to breed like crazy with non stop.
Hamas not want a democratic Palestinian state where people live in peace and prosperity. Because without fear you can’t control people and implement your extreme fanatic policies.
The Arab rulers they hold the power without real and free elections need Israel attacking Palestinians, to keep the mind of their people full of hate and then no one will talk about freedom and democracy challenging the ruling class and the religious fanatics controlling the crowd with promises in heaven.
The Americans want Hamas and other extremists alive and not really dead because if the Middle East issue can resolve then the Israelis not have anymore the excuse that they lives are under threat and they should stop play the sheriff in the region protecting USA interests.
Maybe I am wrong or maybe I am right?

bold bill   January 14th, 2009 2059 GMT

After being hit by an Iraqi Journalist's shoes, this guy stands up in front of journalists. How idiotic a person is he? Whoever gave him a C average in school was a C average teacher too.

How can a person seeing all these atrocities done by an army such as the israeli one and not flinsh at all? Is he that callous or are we not getting it yet? Any of those who could stop this onslaught in GAZA and r not doing anything are more callous than him. Their day will come and I hope the same thing happens to them and only then they will cry WOLF and no one woul;d come to their rescue.

Tia   January 14th, 2009 2210 GMT

Side Lines: I agree. Gaza is so small, so under priveledged and confined and limited to everything. It has become a concentration camp. Hamas developed for a reason. Regardless to whether we like the reason or not. Children on the borders of Gaza and the west bank were being sniped by Ireali soldiers, men were being kidnapped and thrown into jail for no reason, and to be frank they (hamas) started off feeding and suppporting the poor of Gaza! Perhpas you all should do more reading about this group. Everyone has an opinion yet has no information on this group that has been defending these Palistinian people because no one else will! Thats why the people of Gaza VOTED for them!

Tom   January 15th, 2009 655 GMT

Hamas wanted to start a war with Israel. Israel was very patient, but there comes a time when you have to defend your people. Now that the war is on Hamas and the people of Gaza are getting what they asked for. They voted 75% for Hamas and 25% for another terrorist organzation. Who are the "innocent" victims? I say let the bombs fall on Gaza! They deserve it. As far as negotiating with Hamas. Forget it! You can't negotiate with demon possessed terrorists. Give 'em hell, Israel! When they stop shooting rockets into Israel is the only time to consider peace. Until then, let's give war a chance.
The worshippers of allah, the moon god can never have peace, because they worship the devil.

David Freeman   January 15th, 2009 1146 GMT

Mr. Tom AKA: Stupid

I just got so enlightened by your rubbish? What in the hell are you talking about Israel defending itself/its people? You lose your right to defend yourself when you are the aggressor.. Israel illegally occupying other people’s land.. I don’t care who are these people .. Hamas or Hummus..it does not matter…the name …do you live under a rock?

Palestinians are ghettoized
within 12 percent of the original
territory in the West Bank.
The West Bank is divided up
into 70 isolated cantons with no
physical movement without
Israeli permission.
There are over 500 military
check points where Palestinians
often wait hours, and must have
ID cards and passes just to travel
short distances. Israeli settlers
can travel easily.
“The permit system for the
Closed Zone is administered in
an arbitrary and humiliating
manner…This system, which
subjects Palestinian freedom of
movement to the whim of the
Occupying Power, creates
anger, anxiety and humiliation
among the population

Old Yankee Guy   January 15th, 2009 1503 GMT

Do you see Israel blowing up themselves to kill Palestinians? Do you see Israel shooting rockets into Gaza on a daily basis for many years? Do you see Israel boast of wiping Palestinians off the face of the earth? The aggressors are clearly Palestinian and Islamic. Israelis would live in peace other than defending themselves from constant barbaric behavior. If Muslims would open their eyes they would see their Allah is impotent against the Israeli God Jehovah. If Allah was all powerful then Israel would not have seen its first victory.
If the Hammas was not such a coward and fighting from behind women and children, then women and children would not get killed.
If the Palestinians used their Billions in welfare from the world to build an economy based on production and self sufficiency instead of guns and rockets maybe they could become more than street thugs feeling the world owes them a living. Quit your crying, stop your fighting, pull yourself up and become human.

Vincent   January 15th, 2009 1934 GMT

Gaza looks more and more like a concentration Camp, All is controlled by the Israelis
Food Water Electricity and who goes in or out and of course the media. When Israel goes into Gaza it’s a Police action when Palestinians shoot rockets its terrorism.
The fact is over a 1000 Palestinians died.

If the Palestinians were our allies, everything would be different.

fair play   January 15th, 2009 1941 GMT

old yankee guy
i don't know wat religion u r but u talk crap..are u saying God's people don't suffer.If Jesus was real y was he on the cross? did he have to go through that? so let israel feel good cuz God's people suffer and the oppressors will meet torment when they meet him or if he wishes to send destruction on them.this war will unite all good humans versus evil.who can look at babies blown up and argue?in the bible it is said you will be killed for my namesake, are u saying that he lied becuse if God is great nothing should happen.everything happens for a reason.There must be people for God to put in hell..plus this is the birthplace of Jesus.do u think if he returned now he would like or allow babies to be killed? would jesus allow this war? but only muslims and christians live in palestine rite? so where does that leave u? u don't care cuz ur maybe a jew thinkin who is Christ anyway? both religions in palestine believe in Christ. Israel why do u try to kill your prophets? d worst punishment is yet to come....we are here for the next life not this so fight ur war....wen u meet d lord ud wish u were one of those palestinian babies....

Michael Derse   January 16th, 2009 2132 GMT

I don't think Hamas is attacking Isreal, I have seen no current documentation which proves they are doing it. Where are all the pictures of rockets and bloody Isreali children? The press certainly shouldn't have any trouble obtaining some type of proof.

tukie   January 18th, 2009 2001 GMT

Just think of all on what's going on there? People are killed and we are not there.. It is very easy to say sth. about them... ur not there, your family not there, your friends not there, your people not there... Keep talking from the pocket ! I do not believe Israel government & Hamas, All ! They just feed themselve from this war.... Poor Palaestians are still killed....

Dennis Junior   January 27th, 2009 427 GMT

Thanks goodness that Bush is no longer making any decisions on Gaza...

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