[WWIII]Does anyone just shake their heads and wonder wtf anymore?

Actually, all they'd have to do is bomb it. The vast majority of Muslims would simply assume that Israel did it.

 

I can sympathize with your and Major's point about the taxes. However unfair it seems though, it is equally unfair to expect Israel to either funnel money to (not your suggestion) or allow money to be funneled to an organization whose goal is the destruction of Israel. We don't allow money collected in the US, taxes or otherwise, to be funneled to Al Queda.

I can sympathize with this viewpoint also. But then again the price for 'legitimacy' is giving up the goal of the destruction of Israel. Just as the IRA had to become a political rather than military organization, so does Hamas.

 

given that israel is occupying gaza and the west bank according to international law they are required to provide basic services for the occupied. they do this by writing a check out of the taxes they collected from those that are occupied. by not doing it they are violating their obligation to take care of the occupied.

 

Should the ruling party of Israel also give their goal of removal and resolution to never allow a Palestinian state as a neighbor as well? Or should that only go one way?

I agree that the burdon is on Hamas to first show they are moving beyond terrorism in order to really receive aid, and true diplomatic status. But by the same token when you have the ruling party of Israel believing that they should never have a Palestinian state next to them, and expressly believe that they should move the Palestinians away from their homes, something needs to be done about that as well.