The actual targeting of a little girl's bat mitzvah is just about the most disgusting thing I have ever heard in my life. How is this a strategic target unless your sole quest is to spill the blood of innocent civilians?? How does this further the Palestinian cause?? My instant reaction is that I hope Israel unleashes hell on the jackasses responsible for this.
They're fricken terrorists, so what else should we expect? It's the Satanic way, no? In a religious context, Satan persues us and attempts to destroy us because he can't deal with God directly himself. Terrorists would never be honorable (translate: man) enough to face their enemies in war directly.
It's revenge. Just like what we want. The cycle continues. What does strategy (other than possibly psychological) have anything to do with it? Besides, if you don't have the weapons to "really" retaliate, you're left with some bonehead being a suicide killer taking actions like this. Yes, and then the Palestinians come back and blow some people up... then the Israelis blow some people up... then the Palestinians blow some people up... yada yada yada... ad infinitum. Oh wait, that's what's already been happening for years.
Glynch, I think we're both pointing out the obvious. I'm simply stating that if it were not for politics, Israel could deal with the terrorists in a way that would prevent them from showing up at a girl's bat mitzvah for Pete's sake.
While I see what your saying, comparing it to what America is doing (which that statement indirectly does) is not right.
You can argue the reasoning behind why we do what we do, but it's nothing more than another form of revenge. I don't equate the two situations if that's what you mean. And lookie here... the cycle continues : http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/01/18/mideast.violence/
The "cycle" does not continue. The Israelis made sure that all civilians were out of harm's way before they blew up the Palestinian Government building (prisoners in the jail were released). The Israelis target terrorist threats, while the Palestinians target civilians. The U.S. needs to allow Israel to secure their situation by any means necessary. Every nation or man has a natural right to defense.
please put your moral relativism aside... they targeted a little girl's bat mitzvah...this isn't "let's go find the bastards who are oppressing us and take them out!"...this is, "let's go terrorize innocent people, including children." in that sense, i hope those jackasses get exactly what's coming to them
There is one major difference between what the Israelis do and what the Palestinian (and other) terrorist organizations do that sets them apart in my mind: The Israelis do not intentionally target civilians (although there is collateral damage, it is unintentional), while the Palestinian terror groups specifically target civilians. Only occasionally do the Palestinians attempt to attack military (IDF) targets. I really don't blame the Palsestinians for attempting to attack IDF targets, although that does not further their cause either. I'd probably do the same if I were in their shoes - that's war. But to intentionally attack civilians is totally unjustifiable. And unforgivable. School buses, pizzerias, discos, random civilians driving home from work, bat mitzvahs... They have no strategic value at all. None. That is simple, flat out murder. And the frequency of the attacks is mindboggling. You must understand, Israel is a tuiny country with a small population. When 20 of them die in a terror attack, it is the relative equivalent of a WTC for them. And it happens on practically a daily basis. Is there really any mystery as to why they respond the way they do? What would we do if a WTC-scale attack happened every week? That is why I don't blame the Israelis one bit for their tactics. If I were at the helm, I'd probably show even less restraint... Arafat would certainly be dead by now.
lol... you guys think on such a microcosm, it's laughable. Who in their right mind would condone intentional civilian death? I surely don't. The cycle I was referring to was the cycle of war. It will not end. This isn't a question about "who's right?"... at this point does anyone know? I'm beyond placing blame on Palestinians or Israelis. I'm just fed up with war, the glorification of it, and somehow thinking when all else fails, violence must be the answer (even though right now it appears to be the only answer). Which is bizarre because if you had asked me about 4 or 5 months ago how I felt, I would've (and I think I may have) said, just eradicate the Middle East... Israelis, Palestinians, all of 'em... or at least hope they eradicate one another. I look at people on this bbs that thought seeing Taliban getting blown up by a missle was humorous and think back to the families that lost loved ones in Mogadishu(?). We thought that was horrible when they paraded and dragged corpses around in celebration, yet we sit here celebrating the deaths of others. I'm not saying what we're doing is wrong. On the contrary, I agree with what we've done so far. However, I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit here and be gleeful about the crap that's happening overseas. I refuse to pick a Palestinian or Israeli side... they're both good... they're both evil. And the cycle never ends...
dr of dunk -- i think on such a microcosm it's laughable??? excuse me, but i started this thread simply to say that i thought the targeting of a little girl's bat mitzvah was just about the sickest thing I ever heard of. i didn't ask for you comments on the macrocosm... "who's right??" i dont know...but i can tell you who it's not! it's not the jackass who walks into a pizzeria with a bomb strapped to him...and it's not the jackass who comes into a religious rite of passage for a little girl with guns blazing. that was the sole focus of my comments. but i'll expand it if you like...if the palestinians think they can "win" this war in this fashion, they're sadly mistaken. next...i know of no one here who is celebrating the deaths of others. if those responsible for targeting innocents are dead now because of our bombing, i can't say i'm particularly sorry for them. having said that, i haven't called over my friends and thrown a party because of that fact. i'm not celebrating in the streets. i'm not dragging their dead bodies through my town. that doesn't happen in the united states of america. i certainly don't know how you arrived at this assertion from the tone of my posts on this thread.
When you start a thread, and I wish to respond, I will do so. You will have to accept that I can voice my opinion in your thread. Whether you like my opinion or not is of no consequence to me. Now with that stated, I've stated my opinion. Your disdain for my response is fine. I can accept it. My response was in general. Not directly to your post or beliefs stated in your original post. Sorry if you didn't catch that. As for "no one here celbrating death", you obviously aren't reading some of these threads closely. I have no problem with what we're doing; it's a sad consequence of life today that we must, but that doesn't mean I have to "like" the fact we have to do it. It doesn't mean I have to like what's going on. So I expressed that.
dr -- your comments are welcome...you might want to make them applicable by reading the context within which I write them, though. i was commenting on the very narrow point that I find it disgusting that Palestinians targeted a little girl's bat mitzvah. I went on to say that I would not shed a tear for those who are held responsible for that action. that's all.
