Israel won't have peace until it realizes that violence will never bring it peace against a hopeless enemy. All Israel is doing is to stoke the flames to a younger generation, to pass the hate on and raise the next generation of those who will give their lives - their hopeless miserable lives - in the name of hate to inflict at least the hope of some kind of injury to those who they see as the root of all their suffering. If Israel wants peace than it has to take the harder route. Peace isn't about cease fires or negotiating peace treaties. Peace isn't easy - it will involve real commitment and sacrifice, it will take extraordinary effort. It won't be easy. Israel isn't ready for that. They lack as a collective people the understanding of the pain the history of the creation of their state has inflicted onto other people. Right now they are of a defensive mindset. Not willing to concede any wrong, only looking for the ways they are right. As for the Palestinians. They are consumed by their misery. They can't see beyond their hate and rage. And every act of violence from Israel, from blockade, strikes, incursions, humiliation - prevents anyone who would advocate for peace on the Palestinian side. I think Israel is making a big strategic mistake. Their leverage for making peace will never be greater. Right now their security is at its maximum with Iron Dome and the other conflicts distracting its other enemies.
I guess all we can do is pray for more of this to happen... ...and less of the hate that's consuming people on both sides. I have tears in my eyes when I look at these pictures, because children are taught to hate (on both sides)...there has been so much killing & devastation in the Middle East the last few years & so many families, women & children killed for basically nothing...it breaks my heart. Say what you want about me, it doesn't really affect me 'cause y'all don't know me...but as a parent that almost lost a child to sickness, I can only imagine the pain & heartache of the families that have lost their loved ones. To think or say that I celebrate at the death of civilians just goes to show the level of depravity some will go to in order to push their cause or highlight their opinion. I hate seeing children hurt, this is why I'm so against certain theologies & ideologies. God bless & keep praying for peace.
Right because a few cases of human shields allows Israel to claim that every civilian death is because of human shields and the IDF does no wrong. That's so laughable and sad that people buy into that. Israel didn't have to invade right away. It wasn't even Hamas who started firing rockets into Israel, it was a fringe group. Hamas actually tried to stop them because it didn't want an Israeli invasion. Israel attacked anyway. So Hamas decided to own it for political reasons.
There has been some attempts at non-violent protest, but they haven't been sustained and it was often having two factions carrying out different things. One faction would carry out non violent protests while another would commit violent attacks. Or when Israel responded violently the extremists would make attacks. That's why it will have to be sustained. The photos and video of the protests will have to happen not just media cameramen but civilians and people there that can release it sooner if not actually stream it. I understand why both sides would want to react to the violence and suffering they face with violent retaliation. It's just that it is long past time to move past that and try something new and different.
Im not sure why you are dragging Bush and America into this. That side of the world has been killing each other for centuries. This isn't something new. There have been many great empires rise and fall in all sorts of races throughout history. For the most part, these races and countries have moved aside from their differences, even the conquered ones. Its been about 75 years since WWII and all those nations have been getting along fine for decades. This isn't about freedom. Its about extremism. A minority speaks for the majority. When the middle east decides to move on from their extremist religious behavior, only then will peace come about.
Never said that... So Hamas does no wrong & this is all Israel's fault? That's so laughable and sad that people buy into that. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
I find it amusing that whenever anyone criticizes Israel it automatically means the must be in love with Hamas.
Reminds me how if you were against the war so e asked why you hate America. Their brains are incapable of grasping any concept other than whatever simplistic garbage is funneled their way.
Facts are when you take a people's land - a people who once made up the vast majority of the land, forcibly and kick them out of their homes and make them live in one big refugee camp - guess what, they are going to be really pissed of at you.
Great post. In fact, some of those scenes do still exist. Many Orthodox Jews have been against all the violence going on in Palestine. They are frequently seen at protests here in the US with the Palestinians on the side of those being killed and opposed to the Zionist, political regime of Israel.
Israel doesn't want or need peace. They are systematically taking the West Bank and will eventually get Gaza. It is only a matter of time before it is ALL Israel. They feel entitled by history and the 1967 offensive.
Probably the most promising way to non-violently oppose Israeli occupation is the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions Movement BDS Movement. Recently The Presbyterians a major Christian denomination in the US voted to sell all their stocks in Caterpillar, HP and some other notorious companies. I know it created consternation among some Jewish friends who still support the occupation. Right now Verso Books is donating a free download of a recent book on the BDS Movement. verso.com The Case for Sanctions Against Israel. I downloaded it and have read the first ten pages or so. This non-violent approach was successful in bringing change to South African Apartheid, though as Chomsky has said in many ways Israeli behavior is worse wrt to the occupied territories. It is certainly a way for us here in the states to help.
Agree...so which borders do we go back to? Joshua's borders? ...or the borders under King David & King Solomon? "Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. And he was the ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River even to the land of the Philistines [Gaza], and as far as the border of Egypt [brook of Egypt]." - (2 Chronicles 9:25-26 NAS, see also 1 Kings 4:21)
Nah not this fake map, the Israel's border would as tiny as the hats u use.. On serious note, jew through out the history were everywhere along side with Arab..interesting to say , during the time of Andalusia, jews migrated with Arab, and they fled south Europe at the end of that era.
Sure looks like that, though the worst sort of neo-con types, who control and scare Israelis by constantly playing to unrealistic fears of annihilation, still hope to kill and oppress enough Palestinians until they accept a couple of little enclaves deprived of liberty and largely control of their borders, water, electricity. Backed by their manipulated population they have forced the Palestinians not to accept this type of permanent subjugation of a non-state. It looks like they have created by facts on the ground one state. World opinion will eventually eventually force them to stop the apartheid type structures they have erected. Israel/Palestine will then actually join the world of democratic states and instead of being a major obstacle to progress will be a good example of progress in the world.
The 1967 borders is where it gets complicated... The counter argument is to the victors go the spoils through out history. Even in a best case scenario you won't see the 1967 borders. Israel is the 800 pound gorilla in the region with the military and infrastructure.
