Description is purely opinions based on value systems.
It was easy for the 1.5 million "prisoners" to change their
living conditions if they had rejected the politics propounded by
HAMAS.
Why are the same Palestinians living on the West Bank not living
in similar "prison like conditions" ?
If you succumb to propaganda and propound it further with your
own preferred twist of the situation, it does not help anyone to
understand the present events any clearer.
It is fortunate for us to live in a different part of the World,
and see it as "disinterested" parties with no special agenda, and
view the events without any colored lens, or any emotional hang-ups
- and pass our judgment based on the facts of the events, with our
own values.
The "facts" depend on how and where you gather these from.
The UN-GUIDED missiles or rockets fired by HAMAS are
deliberately aimed or directed to land into the
midst of Israeli civilian areas to cause maximum destruction.
These are not molotov cocktails.
At least the Israeli are taking pains to retaliate by using
laser guided bombs that target HAMAS militant strongholds and
missile or rocket manufacturing facilities.
Compared to the cheap HAMAS rockets, these Israeli laser
guided bombs and missiles would have cost at least 20 to 50 times
more - and would have already shown the difference in the effort at
minimising civilian casualties.
The fact that Palestinian casualties have occurred is due to the
deliberate effort of HAMAS to locate these high-explosives
manufacturing facilities in the middle of densely populated area -
in TOTAL DIS-REGARD to their OWN POPULACE - shows the callous
attitude of the HAMAS leadership towards even their own people.
If you agree that Israel or Iran - or any nation - has the right
to self-defense - is there any need to agonise over the Israeli
response to HAMAS irresponsible and callous acts towards Human
Lives - whether be it Israelis or their own Palestinians living in
the Gaza Strip ?
Is Israel continuing to oppress the Palestinian people - or are
you succumbing to propaganda ?
The previous Israeli Prime Minister Sharon - who died of heart
failure - was one of the stoutest propounder of Israeli settlements
on occupied territories.
Yet he was also one of the strongest advocate to forcibly remove
large segments of the Israeli settlements from occupied territory,
in exchange for Peace - and at a high price of his own
political unpopularity amongst the Israeli settlers.
Sharon insisted on the mass removal of the Israeli
settlers, as he realised that the Israeli settlements on occupied
territory will only stretch Israeli military resources, and will
only weaken their position in the face of mounting Palestinian
civiliarn unrest in their well ochestrated INTIFADAH.
Israel had offered a negotiated and permanent settlement to
allow a TWO-State solution to exist - this was rejected by the
previous Palestinian Leader Arafat, who felt his position was
better off having a prolonged stand-off than a resolution, as this
guaranteed continued financial support from the other Arab
countries.
Now that Arafat is dead and gone, the present Palestinian
President Abbas efforts have been sabotaged by HAMAS refusal to
negotiate with Israel, and insist on their Iranian supported
foolish ambitious goal of having Israel totally anihilated.
The Palestinians in Gaza can taking it in any position they
wish, as long as they continue with their foolishness in taking on
Israel by threatening the Israeli civilians, they have only
themselves to blame for the Israeli retaliation that will
certainly come.
This is the Middle-eastern principle of "an eye for an eye" - as
is propounded by the fundamentalist Islamic believers.
Complicity requires more then just blocking the border with
Gaza.
The Palestinians in Gaza can burn all the flags of all the
countries on earth, but they will not be getting any sympathy as
that given to the USA on 9-11 - even from the worst protagonists of
the US.
If HAMAS and their Palestinian supporters in the Gaza Strip
play with fire, they have to learn to live with the fire they have
created for themselves.
No point attempting to look for sympathy from the World
Community if they cannot control the fire that they have
started.
Haha, so those laser guided bombs, each weighing about several
hundred pounds, cause less damage and casualties than unguided
homemade or small-scale rockets? When the term "precision weapons"
are used, it refers to its accuracy, not its impact. If Israel
wants to target Hamas police stations (civilian infrastructure),
which it did, a certain GBU could have destroyed it. But the
ensuing shockwave generated would have probably injured and killed
civilians within a radius of several hundred metres. In fact,
Israel's bombs have already been reported to have caused miscarriages
and psychological trauma, besides of course killing people.
How can you believe that the Palestinians could at least have an
acceptable standard of living when Israel makes sure that medical
supplies, food and fuel is restricted, or at times, refuses to
allow the re-supplying of Gaza? You could argue that religion or
politics have caused this crisis. But when people are deprived of
necessities, they have no choice but to rise up and rebel.
Naturally we can't even understand that because our basic needs are
fulfilled and taken for granted in Singapore.
Israel has promised to halt settlement building many times. Yet
the fact remains that expansion of settlements still continues.
When the two state solution was proposed, it was impossible for
Arafat to have agreed because firstly, the proposed Palestinian
state would have been divided by the strategically situated (around
Jerusalem) Israeli settlements. A nation that has no control over
its borders is no nation at all. Secondly, the Palestinian state
would have no control over its air space at all, meaning that the
IAF would have a free reign to bomb it whenever it wants. Again,
what kind of sovereignty is that?
Despite the meaninglessness of this argument, because might is
right in the real world, do you realise that Palestinian casualties
are many times more than Israeli casualties? And of course it would
be. Israel has undertaken this policy for many years, hitting hard
in response to the smallest provocation. Decades ago for example, a
border clash which killed less than 10 Israeli soldiers died was
retaliated with an Israeli attack that would usually kill 50+
[insert Arab country] dead. That was then when Israel was
potentially threatened on all sides. Today, it just seems like
US-like bullying.
