This is quite disgusting and I wouldn't blame Israel a bit for conducting a large scale retaliation. Arafat is a joke and remains one of the few constants in this mess for the last 30 years. Slaughter in downtown Jerusalem MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Dec. 2 — Detonating nail-studded explosives, two suicide bombers wrought death and destruction in central Jerusalem late Saturday, fulfilling the threat of Palestinian militant groups to avenge the killing of a Hamas military leader in an Israeli missile attack last week. At least 10 bystanders died along with the two bombers, while more than 150 people were left wounded in the attack near a mall crowded with young people enjoying a night on the town.
My god, I don't blame Israel for going after these idiots. Their responsibility is to keep their citizens safe. Sheesh !! DaDakota
Israeli troops left bomb(s) in Palestinian territory that killed a number of children; I imagine that was another reason for the retalliation.
Israel government made its bed by occuping land for 30 years and treating the occupation with distain by settleing people on the Palestinian land and killing their children and leaders. I feel for all the innocent people that have to suffer through all this voilence but the Palestinian people have to defend themselves. I just wish the Palestinians were more peace loving but when you don't have any hope you just lash out. THEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE STILL UNDER OCCUPATION BY A FOREIGN FORCE.
I also wish somehow the Palestinians would be smart enough to turn to Gandhis approach of non-violence. Unfortunately they dont have a good enough leader to lead them that way. I in no way condone this sort of behaviour. The people who did this have to be punished. But at the same time what the hell is Palestine suppose to do? Just stand by as the Israelis occupy their land and run their lives?
What about the Native Americans? Maybe we should give back the United States. Conquest is a legitimate method of expanding one's borders. Every nation that has had the power has done this. They must have because nations don't just spring into existance fully formed and at peace with all of the surrounding people. The Palestinians have lost. They don't have allies that will help them get their country back like Kuwait did. They are SOL. Is it fair how the Israelis treat the Palestinians? Depends on who you ask, but probably not. But life isn't always fair. Besides, it could be a lot worse, see Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, or even the United States. Once you get conquered it is time to move on with your life. You don't see Native Americans going around blowing up shopping malls.
You are one sadistic dude. The way the world is, you are correct, but I wouldn't call it "legitimate" . I know it is not practical to "give back the United States", but the whole idea of justice is at best very gray when dealing with the US's history of dealing with native Americans. In my opinion, you just come off as stating the evils of history in such a matter-of-fact way. I know, "the Palestinians lost" but just because Isreal has the military might to squash all Palestinians, it doesn't mean they should. We live in a more enlightened age today, where conquest and expansion of power are no longer the only things that nations care about. At least, I hope we are progressing into that kind of world. "Life is not fair"...I agree, but we should still act towards achieving the ideals that we hold true to our hearts. It probably would be better if all Palestinians laid down their resistence...but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. They believe they are right, and many would rather die than give up their beliefs. "You don't see Native Americans going around blowing up shopping malls." So, do you really think all native American tribes just layed down and said "please, take the land we've lived on for centuries, herd us to reservations on non-arable land, move us again, lie to us, rape our women, use us in your military, lie to us again, scalp our heads for profit, exterminate our people"...? I know you do not believe that, but your point about natives accepting the way the world is today is not true. This is more due to the fact that US policies such as Removal, Termination, and Extermination were very successful in terms of accomplishing policy goals. Palestinians believe they are right, and many still believe they can win. I think is natives believed they had any real chance of regaining their lands, they would've gone through extreme measures. That did happen in US history. Ultimately, all acts were quashed. Maybe that's what the future will hold. Maybe one day, Jews will physically dominate the mid-east, or maybe muslims will. Hopefully, as I said earlier, we are developed enough on a whole as a human race, that true peace can occur with coexisting societies.
Arafat just said last Wednesday that he was going to put 100% of his effort into stopping the violence on the part of the Palestinians. Great job . He failed in preventing the worst bombings ever in Israel. Palestinians cannot fight the Israeli military(because they will lose)...so they are going after the young people. Now, Israel will respond and many more Palestinians will die...innocent and not so innocent. Until one side annihilates the other, there is no way peace will work over there. Noone ever seems to say "enough is enough" on either side. Maybe Israel should work on defending its own occupied areas without infringing upon Palestinian areas. I dare say Arafat needs to go because he would probably be replace with someone worse...just like Barak was replaced with Sharon. It's never going to end. All of it's madness and horrific imagery will go on. I just wonder when the formal declaration of war will come. Peace should not even be used in any talks until the violence is stopped. But, since retaliation is the way, it never ends. So, how do you have peace?
This really isn't true. We pummelled the Native Americans into submission with superior weaponry and sheer numbers. Israel has never come out directly and said that they intend to conquer and drive out Palestinians. In many ways, the two countries are still at war and this is how Palenstine wages it. It isn't pretty and it isn't enjoyable but it is no more or less violent than an all-out war. The only difference is that Israel uses and army and Palestine uses terrorists. The basic problem is that you have two groups who both claim the same small territory on religious grounds. Neither is willing to give in because, in their eyes, restoring the land to their faith represents a sacred, holy effort. Sadly, Israel and Palestine seem destined to be in conflict as long as they each believe that God destined that land to be their own.
Tacoma park legend and WoodlandsBoy,R0ckets03 and all the rest of you that justify the Palestinians this terrorists actions . You have no idea what you are talking about Israel never killed Palestinians citizens with no reason , they only killed dangerous terrorists. Israel never acts against Palestinians they are only reacting to their terrorists actions, so don't make up things that didn't happen .I live in Israel and there were another 3 terrorists action in less then one day (they blew up another bus)! 20 people (15 children under 19) are dead! And over 200+ people are injured. There is no difference at all from Bin Laden to the Palestinians Terrorists they only difference is that Bin Laden hurt you personally and they don’t , so you don’t mind justify them and then you are saying " what the hell is Palestine suppose to do? " !?!?! What the hell is wrong with you , with all due respect to the Palestinians Israel is our country! they don’t want peace they want our country they want our blood , we tried to give them everything and they refused even Sharon is not being very "popular " this days , people are disappointed from him because that he almost never reacts .I don’t have problem living with Arabs but there is no excuse for this terrorists actions ! .
Sorry Francis Rules, I wasn't justifying the attack. My point was that the Israeli military was stupid to leave active bombs in Palestinian territory, and I didn't think alot of people knew about what happened regarding that.
These Palestinians are evil people. No arguing that. They seem to have no regard for human life, like every life other than people with their belifefs is meaningless. What they did was pure evil.
Kim, I am not sadistic. In fact, my suggestion would probably lead to the least amount of suffering. I am a realist. Israel is there to stay and the Palestinians have zero chance of kicking them out. The problem, as you so aptly pointed out, is that they think they can win. They cannot. I never said that the Israelis should squash all the Palestinians, in fact I hope that not another soul over there is the victim of violence on either side. My opinion is that the only way to acheive peace over there is for one side to win decisively. It looks like Israel has come out on top, so the Palestinians should surrender and then the rebuilding process could begin. Would they be happy about it? No, but maybe it would not be as bad as losing their sons and daughters in a never ending war that they cannot win.
Jeff, I am confused as to which part of my post you believe is untrue, because I agree with most of what you said, but I don't see where it contradicts what I said.
Sorry that you have to deal with seeing your citizens murdered in cold blood. No country including Isreal should see its young murdered like that. I wish that the Palestinenains could see that Israel could be their partners in advancing life of their citizens with economic ties. Unfortunately your government doesn't trust the Palestinian Authority, US, nor the UN in helping the reduction of violence. Your government doesn't want to see UN peace keepers, US peace keepers, our any other peace keepers becuase the right wing of your people want their land. Israel thinks that killing leaders of people will help reduce the violence but it does not. These bombs are a direct retaliation by people who have been hurt by the murder of their leaders. Can't you see that. PLEASE HELP EVERYONE BY VOTING AGAINST THE LIKUD. Sept 11 would not have occured if there was a lasting peace in Israel and the WestBank. I know that the Palestinians don't want peace but retaliation doesn't help it just hurts. Don't kill their leaders, don't do target killings, don't buldoze homes, don't kill teenager, don't allow the right wing to take over.
Give the Palestinians some f-16s and Appaches maybe they'll stop doing this. You give them no choice. You hold them down. You kill them and beat them. Of course this is going to happen its some damn nerve you have trying to say 'oh my god what evil people how could they do this'. Read the death tolls since last year. Israel still has at least a 5-1 favorable advantage of Palestinians. And oh yeah go read some stuff on Sabra and Chatila. See how your nice uncle Sharon ordered Phalangists to butcher and kill and rape people in UN camps. not one or two but around 2,000. So yeah 300 Israelis dying in two years of 2000 Palestinian dying in a few days...I wonder who's the terrorist.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia_china/story.jsp?story=107922 Village air raid: error or an act of terror? Scores killed by B-52s By Richard Lloyd Parry in Jalalabad 02 December 2001 When Lal Gul walked into the village of Kama Ado yesterday morning, the B-52s had scarcely passed overhead, but to his eyes it seemed that no one could be left alive. The houses were collapsed, and their broken wooden roofs were burning from four sets of bombs that had landed half an hour before. "We could hear the sounds of children calling out, and yelling," says Mr Gul, a farmer from the next village. "Then this boy and his grandmother walked towards us, saying, 'Help us, help us'. There were 30 houses in that village, more than 200 people. From a family of 40, only this boy and his grandmother are alive." The 10-year-old boy, Iqbal Uddin, is in the Jalalabad hospital where Mr Gul took him, a three-hour drive along a wretchedly bumpy road. He is moaning quietly, and there are bandages around his belly where the shrapnel caught him. One of his ribs is broken, and the shockwave from the bomb collapsed his lungs. From here to Osama bin Laden's suspected hideout in the White Mountains is a day's journey overland – but perhaps from the cockpit of a B-52 it seems like no distance at all. How else to explain why the bombs were unloaded on Kama Ado? "I have never seen any Taliban in that village,'' said Mr Gul. "The Arabs of Osama are far away. We are poor people – if we had any money we would have escaped before now to Pakistan.'' Reports from mujahedin commanders in Jalalabad suggest that at least 65, and perhaps more than 300, people were killed by American air raids on Friday night and yesterday morning. In two villages in the Mairajuddin district, 50 people are confirmed dead, according to Hazrat Ali, head of security in Jalalabad. "It's possible that the total is more than 100," he said last night. The dead in the Mairajuddin district are the first civilian victims of a new stage in the war in Afghanistan: the hunt for Osama Bin Laden in the Tora Bora area of the White Mountains. All morning, stories trickled into Jalalabad of at least four separate sets of bombing strikes on other villages too small to be marked on any map. They remain unconfirmed but, thanks to Mr Gul, we have a good idea of what happened to Kama Ado. It began at about 3.30am yesterday, when Muslims take their pre-dawn breakfast during Ramadan. Most of the villagers were in their houses. A young man named Khalil also lies in hospital, with a broken arm and a bloody bandage around his head. He survived for one reason only: he was caught short during the middle of the meal, and when the bombs destroyed the house where his family was eating, he was squatting under a tree. "I was carried away,'' he says. "But I saw that a lot of my relatives were dead.'' Was the bombing of Kama Ado entirely a mistake or was there a ruthless logic to it? Al-Qa'ida members holed up in the Tora Bora area have networks in the surrounding villages, and are paying local people to give them food. "This is the fault of our own people," said Commander Ali. "They are working with the US, giving false reports that there are al-Qa'ida camps, but they are not there," he said. The Northern Alliance's foreign minister, Abdullah Abdullah, said in Kabul yesterday that he did not believe Mr bin Laden was in the Tora Bora area, but in the south.
