Millhouse

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12795809

Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired dozens of missiles into southern Israel in what appears to be their heaviest such barrage in two years.

Meow

Oh FFS. As if there isn't enough going wrong in the world right now.

shiva

this isnt because of the usual tit for tat. this is becuase young palestinians protested against fattah and hammas at the weekend and as such hammas now feels it needs to prove a point and too keep everyone busy. if people are busy getting shot by israel then they will be too busy to overthrow hammas. wankers

Millhouse

and now the retaliation

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12814466

Reminds me of that joke:

People from Manchester think that people from Liverpool are *****. People from Liverpool think that people from Manchester are *****. When will they both learn?

Autonomy

Oh shit....

A bus exploded in Jerusalem on Wednesday near a bus station, witnesses reported, causing an unknown number of casualties.

Dozens of ambulances converged on the station, located in a Jewish neighborhood, Reuters reported, citing Israeli TV and radio.

This breaking news story will be updated.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42228970

BurpusMe

The irony is - they're both right!

Norm_uk

Indeed....it can be argued the reason that the Palestinians are still refugees is for the same reason - it keeps everyone focused on Israel and not on the other issues.

Sad - and it comes in the wake of a Palestinian who slaughtered an Israeli settler family in their sleep, even going as far as to slit a baby''s throat...what kind of human being does that war or not?

N.

Alexa

In the arab press you will read about and see pictures of children and women killed by Israelis.
Then, maybe, just maybe...somewhere far down the page you will read that is was in retaliation of firing mortars into Israel...but of course the people doing that are heroes.



As a matter of fact, I just read it in the Gulf Times over here.

zaaboot

Did not really want to, but to go against the flow - Israel hits Gaza daily and kills many many people including children weekly - but as always it is the Palestinian response that makes the news.

8 deaths and 2 kids in 5 days barely touched the news as it is now seen as normal - the press has managed to split the cost of a life - to the point that if a few Palestinians die when farming their land it does not get any coverage - but if a rocket dents a street that will make headline news for sure.

I would say there is a major flaw in reporting and telling of what happens on the ground.

TBH both sides are wrong, and the governments and the major bias including billions of $$ of military funding from external parties is not helping in anyway

Norm_uk

Hit's Gaza daily? Is that inbetween them giving them food, power and water to support the ever increasing population or are you taking an average of hits over a period of time? How about the two years of near daily rockets going into Israel? Isn't Israel allow to respond...after two years?


Death is death regardless. If we want to balance it we should also mention the Jewish family who had their throats slit two weeks ago - including the baby. I mean it's one thing to remotly attack people but it takes a certain type of murderous heart to break into a home and slash the throats of people in their beds. Is that freedom fighting or just cold bloody murder?

It's been said before and should be said again because it's true. If the Palestinians and their supporters laid down their weapons their would be peace. If the Israeli's laid down their weapons their would be no more Israel.

So what are the oil rich states in this area doing to help? Where's the funds for mass resettlement so people can have better lives instead of being wrapped up in a bit of worthless land...oh I forgot, it's not about land.

N.

zaaboot

Norm some of what you say is reasonable, but do you not think that the occupier should pay and keep the people under its control fully fit, with food, medicine, water etc...? My wife worked as a volunteer there for 5 years (MAP - Medical Aid for Palestine) and YES they do get hit daily, they do not get food or medicine from Israel over 80% is via the UN - and the fact that Oil states are near by is not of any relevance to be honest - why should they resettle anyone, nothing to do with them - it is more to do with Balfour and our corrupt government of the time giving away land that was not theirs to give away - surely we (Britain) Should fully find and compensate for our mistake of creating a country on some one else's land.
Qatar, UAE, Saudi did not steal their land, kill their parents and grandparents and do not continue to steal more land, water, build illegal settlements, run daily aerial bombardments on UN installations etc...When my wife says she saw food stores get bombed by F16 I am more inclined to beleive that then the BBC, before the days of Hamas.

The borders drawn up by the UN are 'legal' and Israel does not respect this in anyway, it keeps grabbing more land, illegally destroying and levelling whole villages in order to build more settlements on Palestinian land.

Two years worth of rockets are a cry for help from a "Ghetto" that has been set up by Israel. Electric fences surrounding your farms, cannot reach your land, unable to export your crops, unable to import basic necessities - it is nothing but an open air prison.

Two years of rockets - what would you do after 60 years of oppression - 2 years is insignificant in comparison and is a natural response - what was the response from the Ghetto in 40's Germany?

Palestine does not have weapons to lay down, in West bank as an example they have no weapons apart from stones, they still get kidnapped daily (you will not see this on the BBC but is reality) locked up, have water restrictions, regular curfews, peaceful demo's get shot at every Friday along the illegal wall - so if you actually believe that if they are to lay down weapons and all would be great that is not the case and has been proven time and time again - I and many others would have to disagree as Israeli governments have said many times that there is no such thing as Palestine and there never was (check out Meyer, Ben Gurion etc...) so why would Israel stop until it gets all the land, it is not as if the UN will ever do anything to stop the cleansing that is going on there. an f16, or a sub or gun ship. when your government says to you daily that you are superior and that you should not mix, and allows settlers to murder farmers frequently with no reprisal they have created a group that is unstoppable and a group that shot dead the only Prime Minister who actually truly tried for peace in the 90''. (Rabin in 1995 for ref

As you say death is death - that is the only certainty here, you mention the family that was killed that is disgusting, but what is the difference to the settler that walked in to a mosque and killed over 30 people whilst they were praying and is now seen as a Martyr by the settlers http://bbc.in/bskwSQ ? A snap shot of daily settler violence that is unrestricted, and at times supported by the army here http://bit.ly/hJQcdp

What is happening is a major super power bullying an effectively unarmed, starved population, and shouts wolf regularly and as their biggest supporter is the US they get more airtime on the news when something happens.

As a Britain I think it is a disgrace that we put the Palestinians in this situation then lay silent when this long term punishment is allowed to continue.

As with everything, everyone has their own view and this is mine - this was our countries biggest mistake and we have washed our hands whilst generations have suffered and will continue to do so.

As my previous mail, the only resolve to this would be an end to the bias and to stop military aid, and to go back to UN partitions - with equal water rights and so on. The continuous VETO used by the U.S is not helping and gives the occupying power a free hand to keep killing and stealing more land.

Tit for tat is not a solution and both sides are pathetic in what they do, and to reiterate it will not be solved until the bias stops.

question - If the UN gave 50% of Britain to France against our what would our response be? Then what would we do if it went down to 20% left speaking British? Then our water is taken away so the French could have swimming pools and gardens whilst our sustenance crops fail again? and that is before they send the planes in to teach us a lesson...

Z

p.s. apologies for grammar but shattered due to weeks of travelling

Millhouse

guys, guys, guys... time out. This was my thread and I have a three line post rule.

Stick to short insults, poor wisecracks and posts based on nothing more than taking the piss out of each other.

zaaboot

I take it that is now three beers I owe you?

Charismatic

Where we a bit ambiguous somehow? It seems pretty clear cut to me.

As for who actually ownes the land, that's a bit complicated but aside from us I think the Ottoman empire would be the most rightful owners. Behold New Istanbul!

Norm_uk

If that's the case there's an arguement for the UN to support a Greek/Armenian invasion of Turkey to reclaim Byzantine Anatolia...they were there long before the Ottomans were kicked out of the Asian Steppes by the Mongols.

By the same rationale you'll be hard pressed to find an older existing culture than the Jews who have first claim on Israel since the Kingdom of Israel is mentioned in Egyptian records as a socio-political entity from at least 1100BC...long before Arabs even had writing.

Not much evidence for anything in the bible though until the reign of Soloman.

N.