What do you guys think of the current conflict in Israel/Gaza, with all the rocket attacks and breaking of cease fires, what is your opinion. My opinion is that both sides are guilty of wrongdoing, and they need to hammer out some type of peace agreement that they will both abide by. The agreement just needs to end the fighting, and return things to a back to how it was before this conflict.
It has come to light recently that persons of leadership and influence in Israel are of the mind that periodicly they much "mow the lawn" to keep th Palestinians destableized. Recent casualty reports are that rates are something like 20:1. It is not a fair fight, but a cutting of a lawn.
Rockhem, I have some doubts about "before" the conflict. I don't know if there ever really was a before. That area has always been contested and fought on, there's a chance the first two cavemen who settled there tried to club each other to death. Peace agreements have been attempted for a very long time, and even the most sensible and effective ones couldn't stop the conflict. I think it's because both sides have malicious intent, and will never actually accept coexistence. On the one hand "common" Palestinians have had the misfortune of being often represented by fanatics, on the other hand Israel has done everything in its power to make life hard for Gaza citizens, and I'm talking about before the conflict. Put into the mix extreme positions on both sides, an interest in the development of things by the world's powers, and you get a really explosive situation which just needs a spark (in this case the kidnappings). In the end both parties are guilty for the situation, but others are culpable too, those who played Risiko in complex geopolitical areas. The horrendous behavior we see now is a direct consequence of careless displacements of people (which have always proved to foster troubles, like those carried out by the USSR). I agree with Interrogator, that Israel has a response is natural, but the size and strength of the response seems disproportionate. The only solution I could ever see to the conflict is: get two governments of level headed, rational people, and have them build a healthy relationship over time. Have Palestinian and Israeli children grow together. Raise a culture of tolerance. It would take three decades, but any quicker solution would just be temporary.
Einaditz, I think you misunderstand my position. The policy of the Israeli decision-makers is not natural but unnatural and preditory. They "mow the lawn" policy is such as to put unnatural pressure on the Palestians so as to cause them to react. Then the Israeli can proclaim they are only "defending themselves" as the systematically cull the resident Palestians. This seems to have been their policy as far back as 1948, i.e. forever. But there has not always been strife in Palestine. Circa 1880-1910,and perhaps for decades either side, the Palestians and the Jews, as well as Christians and Zoroasterians, lived in relative harmony under Ottoman rule. Even today there are substantial factions of BOTH Israel and Palestians who want nothing more than to live in peace and harmony. Alas, the power lies not in their hands but in the hands of a faction of "settlers" (Jews/Zionists) who are backed by Arms from America and other exporters.
I was actually replying to Rockham, and I am partially in agreement with your position. Still, I don't think you can put the blame on just one side, time and time again both sides have proved that they don't have the well-being of their population in mind. And that is the biggest tragedy, as you say many Israeli and Palestinians would love to be at peace, but bigger interests and hardened positions keep making them the victim. I'm trying not to side with anyone here, the only ones I can support are those who did nothing wrong and are being killed daily, on both sides. And yes, these days there are many more civilian deaths among Palestinians than among Israelis, but the constructive way to face this issue is to stop looking at who's to blame and start looking at how to fix this whole mess.
I think the false equivalency that takes place in the media is pretty shameful. Palestine and Israel are not equal in terms of the terror they've caused. Israel wants to solely exist while the people in charge of Gaza want the Jews wiped off the map. Israel of course is responsible for a lot of casualties for civilians there, but they are not the aggressors. They are responding in a defensive posture, and we should never forget that or pretend the two sides are the same.
Personally I find it a little difficult to accept the claim of "only defensive" as described to IDF when for every casualty Israel suffered the Gazans suffered thirty. A 1:30 kill rate? And after years of living penned up in a sort of collective punisment by the IDF? It is just hard to swallow all of that.
To be honest, it's an issue not a lot of people wish to discuss but there really is a ton of anti Semites still existing in this world. A lot of people simply do not like the Jews, so they are automatically going to side against them regardless of the weakness of their position logically and morally. To me that's incredibly depressing and sad, especially considering all of the harm Jews have been the target of by various groups. To be that hateful and ignorant is just sad to me.
