Comments on: Palestine: “I see hatred in every blast pounding Gaza”

By: simon

simon — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:45:39 +0000

Let me articulate the global sentiments expressed against Israel. The issue is not why Israel invaded Gaza. Most rational people understand this was in response to the recent provocation by Hamas. The anti-Israel sentiments all over the world in this particular Gaza incident (and the 2006 Lebanon case as well) is about “HOW” Israel has conducted both these wars. It is the “BRUTALITY” that the world is disgusted with. Even the USA in Iraq or Afghanistan has not meted out such “SAVAGELY”! Yet the USA has the means and capability to do so if they so chose. That is why there is the Geneva convention. This Geneva convention realizes that wars will continue to be waged for a long time to come, but that if and when they do occur, nations must not descend into “BARBARIC” slaughter of civilians on the scale we have seen in GAZA.

That is the issue here…….. un-precedented Barbarism and savagely on the part of Israel.

By: Louis Godena

Louis Godena — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:39:44 +0000

There is much in what Hamdane says; one can go round and round about the “original” owners of this or that strip of land, and not only, as Hamdane points out, in Israel. However, there are very real and very contemporary political issues here, especially as they pertain to the Right of Return of more than 1 million Palestinian refugees and their descendents. On the other hand, admitting the refugees would put paid to the notion of a “Jewish state,” an anachronism in any case, and, in the modern world, an increasingly untenable and dangerous one. And, yes, the Arab world has, as one Israeli pundit said, “screwed the Palestinians more than any single Israeli government ever could.”

By: bob

bob — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:14:42 +0000

Casualties are a terrible thing but where was the outcrying when daily rocket attacks were being taken by Israel-what country would allow that for years? The leaders of the gaza strip have forced this and should be held responsible

By: Hamdane

Hamdane — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:05:50 +0000

Louis,
You have made many claims here that I am not sure where to start. Your allusion to the Stern gangs abd other terror groups has no bearing on the issue, however I admit that when war happens shit happens..(pardon the slang, I do not mean any disrespect). Yes we agree that in war there are no universal good of bad guys, it just depends form which camps the lound voices have been heard. And this war has more or less turned into a news spin zone, instead of drama of war.

My commentary was written as a response to the idea that morality is uphelp for some and cruelty is the currency for the others, I found such naive self-gratifying assumptions ridiculous. And I find it extremely boring and self-serving. NOBODY detains the moral compass of humanity, PERIOD. All we hear is hatred, hatred and hatred. Wait a minute, there is more hatred on TV screens and immam sermons, and extremists on both sides than on the battle fields. And this beckiring need to stop, because it serves no one and it is not changing people minds. There needs to be negociations.

As for your factual claim that Israel has amassed a huge arsenal, I am not sure what are you trying to prove. What were the choices of the state of Israel? Live in constant fear of being driven to the sea. It could have happened in June 1967. I am not sure what stolen land deal are talking about. Israel as a state was created by the United Nations. It was not taken by force, although when Arabs did not want the partition, wars broke out. One cannot blame the Jewish people for wanting to come back to the land that their ancestors live in and certainly not after they were dissimated by fascist europe. The tanks did not roll in to take the land. It was a UN mandate. jewish people were living there even before the partition. The Arab absentee landlords were in Beyrouth seeping tea with their Ottoman masters,while Jewish Communities were working the land along with Arabs to make the land flourish.

The idea of stolen land is a bit anachronistic, and cannot be used as claim. There is a saying that says: “we all live on stolen lands.” American people live on stolen land. The Argentinians, Paragueans, Chilian, Canadian, Chinese in Zia province, Australians, New Zealanders, Turks in Cyprus and Dersim’s anatolia, Russian spread in 7 time zones,and I forgot, Arabs in Berber North Africa… Well you see this stuff about stolen land argument does not hold a lots of clout. It may have been wrong at the time, but remember human are supposed to be moral individuals right? Wrong!!! Unless we ask all these invadors to go back to their country of origin right? I am not going to say anything about the rights Jewish people have on the holy land.

It is time for arabs to try to built their communities instead of turning all resouces to fight an self-made delusional enemy. Gaza should have been a model for other arab nations, but instead of building schools, the infrastructure, educational institutions and creating a ideal (albeit islamic) community, the reverse had happen. And that’s a shame on the Arab leaders who have deceived their people on fighting and trying to lead their people on the war path.

Peace can only come when some people come with the grip of reality and move on to better societies, instead to liberating fictiteous lands, which once retaken will fall into decay and perdition. What arabs need to do is to liberate their mind sets and attitude, and live in peace with their Jewish state, but they have proven that destruction of Israel is the main focus. And to this Israel will NEVER allow.

By: Louis Godena

Louis Godena — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:35:58 +0000

hamdane recoils from the sight of injured and dying civilians on both sides. if you are a humane person you do. however, i am sure he understands that war almost certainly involves the killing of innocents. for more than sixty years (starting with the stern gang and other terrorists), each side has sought to terrorize the other by going into the bedrooms, the kitchens, the nurseries of each others domiciles. the israelis have amassed a formidable killing machine of jets, helicopters, guided missiles and all manner of small arms. the palestinians have only their own bare hands. and it is their land that has been stolen out from under them to make way for yet another theocracy (as if we didn’t have enough already!). israel, in its present form, is not a tenable state; nor are any of its neighbors. change must come. the nation-state is now passing into history. what replaces it will depend in part on what means are used to ease its transition. the israeli/hamas way is, clearly, not in the best interests of the people.

By: Hamdane

Hamdane — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:48:35 +0000

Hatred has no political or border fences. Killing innocents children is always heartbreaking, and sad but it seems like some people are using this a measuring stick of ethical conduct, as if they themselevs are clean of any wrong doing. They need to stop that game.

I think the main issue is WHY is happening NOT whether it is wrong not. Why do you people are so stubborn to show that you are ethically and morally better than thou? Nobody in his/her right mind is going to come forward and say that killing children is a OK. And Israeli forces are targeted as monsters child killers. It is farther from the truth. They have tried to avoid this type of incidents.

Saying that for every bomb exploding in Gaza is hatred filled bomb, is like saying stoning a immoral adultress woman is for her love and salvation or sending Quassam rockets on towns in israel is for their own good. What does hatred has to do with bombing? Bombing is bombing, is there bombing for love? Was bombing of Pear Harbor or german cities for fun and hatred? and Hiroshima’s nuclear bomb was dropped for hatred of the Japanese. It was dropped to end the war. It is morally repugnant, and we can talk about how cruel and bad it for ever and ever. In the end it does change a thing.

Thus I urge people to stop crying out loud about how israel is full of hatred against Gaza. If hatred is what define Israeli forces, the Isreali arabs would have experieced the worse of hatred and humiliation.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:50:34 +0000

I cant believe you people! Where were all of you for the past 8 years when Hamas sent 20 rockets a day into Israel? Where was the UN and the Arab leaders? No one has a comment about that!! Instead you cry and blame Israel for acting as any other country would do. You woke up a sleeping giant and now you are paying the price.

By: Dörte

Dörte — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:29:12 +0000

Jillian, you have given the only possible answer, thank you. How can people react to this unspeakable suffering with hatred? Without compassion? I really can’ understand it. We have read about human beings, families with children who can’t know if they will survive the next hour!

By: Ivan

Ivan — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:57:00 +0000

this all reads like an adrenalin charged computer game.There is something weird about the way the leaders bellowing defiance to the world, keep themselves secure in Israeli built bunkers under hospitals from where they can direct defiant rocket firing.These old men seem to accept that young men women and children will all bear the retaliation. Oh well, that’s why they have 4 wives and plenty children. And they make sure that all sacrifice plenty so that those wicked old men can claim to have plenty to avenge because if they WOM survive, they then claim they have won! Without actually going into battle for themselves.It’s the new war-games and the media are his messengers. Islam demands submission and I would not myself, so I can see why they would not.

By: Jillian York

Jillian York — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:08:48 +0000

Rudy Pons,

You disgust me.

Sincerely, and with all my heart,
Jillian C. York

By: sophie

sophie — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:14:58 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V70Fk_SDG4

By: Sifta

Sifta — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:24:21 +0000

The Palestinians are under siege, lobbing home made rockets randomly into Israeli territory with a near zero hit rate. Israel responds by firebombing Gaza City with phosphorous weapons. The whole thing seems to be a psy-op oriented towards punishing the Palestinian Gazans, who are already in a massive refugee camp with sealed borders, sealed food supplies, sealed medical supplies, etc. It seems absurd to me to anticipate and expect a Stockholm syndrome response and to then scratch one’s head and wonder why…

By: Louis Godena

Louis Godena — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:56:26 +0000

People here in the West are often told to blame Hamas or Hezbollah or Iran for what is happening in Gaza. Truth is, Gaza has been under siege for the past six months, and the conditions there have reached the breaking point. The rocket attacks against Israel are a legitimate means of self-defense against a genocidal foe (and make no mistake: the long-term object of the Israeli authorities is an ethnically-cleansed Palestine. This whole operation is doomed to failure. Even if they “succeed” in killing every Palestinian man, woman, and child in Gaza, millions througout the region will rise and take their place. The only solution: one secular, democratic Israel for all, including the refugees.

By: Rudy Pons

Rudy Pons — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:18:15 +0000

I see hatred in every rocket fired into Israel, especially the ones fired before the war and during the ceasefire.

Reap what you sow.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:44:09 +0000

My heart goes out to the Palistine civilians. I fail to see why they don’t hold Hamas or Hezbola accountable? Hamas refuses to agree to a cease fire so they can fire rockets into Israel and then everyone wonders why Israel fights back ???