Israeli bloggers Jameel of The Muqata and Dave of Israellycool are liveblogging the war with Gaza. Their up to the minute coverage includes photos, videos, and news clips that from all perspectives in the Israeli population. Jameel also has a Twitter page here.
Written byMaya Norton
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Can any Israeli supporter explain to me what the current war on Gaza is supposed to achieve? Every innocent person killed or mutilated has scores of friends or relatives, many of whom will be radicalised and will be committed to revenge for at least a generation to come.
Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation and repression is difficult because it is such an unequal contest. The Palestinians have no airport or seaport, let alone planes, tanks or helicopter gunships (and certainly no nuclear weapons with which to threaten their enemies’ potential allies). The people in Gaza are more or less living in an open prison which is being bombed by their enemies. If they cannot retaliate with rockets or suicide bombers. what do you Israeli supporters suggest they do?
1/3/2009@10:26AM
DEAR PERSON,
TO ANSWER YOU OF YOUR LAST SENTANCE,
STOP THE HAMAS FROM SENDING ROCKETS AND KILLING ISRAEL CITIZENS ON A DAILY BASIS. THAT WAY ALL THE PALESTINIAN’S
CAN LIVE IN PEACE WITH ISRAEL HELP AND BETTER THEMSELVES.
VERY SIMPLE
The same object that Palestinian “resistance” is supposed to achieve — breaking the will of enemy forces.
So, what is Palestinian “resistance” supposed to achieve? Every rocket injuring Israelis has scores of friends or relatives, many of whom wlll be radicalised and will be committed to eradicating terrorists for generations to come.
Israeli resistance to Palestinian terrorism is difficult because the Israelis left Gaza in 2005 and no longer occupies the strip — and also because it is such a proportionate contest. The Israelis have no will to completely decimate the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure, and are constantly held back by double standards from terrorist sympathisers who insist on a 1-for-1 exchange of lives (nevermind that that’s not proportionality means in international law). The people in Southern Israel are more or less living in terror under the daily threat of Hamas bombardment. If Israel cannot wage war on terrorists, what do you terrorist supporters suggest they do?
Are you seriously justifying the use of indiscriminate rocket launchings and the use of suicide bombers? You ask what is Isael’s end game? How about the stopping of rockets used solely to kill whomever they hit? As Israeli’s and palestinians alike have now stated at least Israel is calling ahead of time and telling the innocent to leave buildings they are about to blow up. As for your argument about these bombings radicalizing a new generation of zealots, I think they were and are already radicalized. Until suicide bombing is no longer acceptable this war will continue, even you accept it’s use, so you tell us, when will it become so abhorent that you and your ilk no longer see rockets and suicide vests as legitamite?
Look at the big picture. Islam is spreading and Israel is a target and always will be , just because it’s there in the middle. History repeats itself. Just as Islam kept the presure on the Crusaders from 1099 to 1291.
Israel will always be under fire and the rest of the West is under a big wave of immigration (INDIRECT PRESURE) until they will be a majority in Europe.
The Hammas is not so weak, it’s a front line extionsion of Iran. It is using what ever they can to keep their terror acts going on and keeping the presure on Israel.
Just listen to what they say and you better believe that this is their plan. YOU BETTER BELIEVE TO EVERY WORD COMING OUT OF IRAN.
Israel first and then the rest of the West,
It’s a WAR between two civilizations , it’s going on since the 7th century until today through 9/11 , London and Spain.
Open your eyes this is their goal and they say it quite clear and loud.
Israel is all alone doing what ever has to be done.
Survival is not that easy in that TOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD.
If Israel’s aim in bombing Gaza is to stop Hamas firing rockets on Israeli civilians, please tell me: has their situation improved? OK, don’t bother, we all know it hasn’t. As was to be expected.
Yesterday I read in one of your newspapers (online) a statement of an Israeli woman who was violentliy in favor of the war in Gaza, she didn’t feel the least compassion with Gazan civilians and didn’t want anyone els to. She is the mother of a young man who was killed in a terror strike. I cannot accept her attitude, bur I can understand her, I am a mother myself. Louie, I was rereading your post, can you grasp the difference between accepting (or sharing) a view and understanding it? The difference between justifying an attack and understanding it? What can you expect of a Palestinian mother whose child is suffering in the siege, panicking when the bombs fall, or even killed?
And don’t go on telling us “but Israel has the right to react against Hamas’ rockets”. Of course it has the right, nobody is denying that. But a reaction is not necessarily a military one, ever thought of it?
Although Israel has even the right to answer Hamas’ violence with a certain amount of violence: is it wise to use it? Does it really help your people? Again, Louie, has the number of rockets from Gaza increased or decreased?
Palestinans are certainly radicalized, have you ever asked yourself why? It might be a good idea to stop your own terrorists in Hebron and elsewhere from terrorizing Palestinans. I can tell you a secret about Palestinans: they are like all other peoples. If provided with a certain amount of peace, freedom and justice they lose interest in radicalism.
You can’t keep poking the bear without expecting him to bite you.
Dorte you say “I can tell you a secret about Palestinans: they are like all other peoples. If provided with a certain amount of peace, freedom and justice they lose interest in radicalism.” Really I ask? And where exactly does this peace and search of freedom come from? It to me seems it comes in either two forms: either forced upon them by another state (i.e Iraq, Germany, Japan) or from within (United States). By electing a radicalized group such as Hamas, peace does not seem to be on the top of their list and I am not sure where freedom ranks. If your premise is true, and I truly hope it is, then palestinians need to do what they can within Hamas to stop rocket attacks and suicide bombings towards Israel out of peace and for their own security. Certainly Hamas firing rockets and blowing up innocent civilians is a negative towards peace and security is it not? As for you thesis on “accepting” a view compared to “understanding” a view, seems to me to be a passive way to not pass judgment on any action. Their is NO justification for the purposeful killing of innocents on either side and I think this “view” fits well with your “peace and security” theory. You feel no empathy for the Israeli citizen who has lost a loved one to a rocket attack, yet in the same breathe feel complete compassion for the palestinian family whose lost a loved one at the hands of an Israeli air strike? How do these two even out? If the Palestinians really want to live in peace as you say, and again I hope this is true, then they cannot base that peace upon the shoulders of an organization whose strings are being pulled by a nation hell bent on the destruction of Israel (Iran). The palestinians must demand a free form of government that has their best interest in mind not that of Iran. The free world would rally to this cause including Israel.
Louie, this is heavy going. Did you really read my post? I think not. I do feel the same empathy to an Israeli family as to a Palestinian one, but I suspect that’s not what you want to hear. You will probably like this one even less: No, Louie, an Israeli life is not more or less worth than any other life, definitely not.
People in Gaza voted for Hamas, because they were fed up with the corruption of Fatah, never heard of it? And they let Hamas blabber away about the destruction of Israel and at the same time polls show that 80% of Gazan voters want peace with Israel, the two states solution. Are you interested at all?
But peace, Louie, does not mean that Palestinians want to lick your feet. No more dreams of greater Israel. Do with your settlers what you want, but do it inside your borders, not beyond.
And if Israel continues to keep Gazans in an open air jail, starves them, bombs them, I can predict you: no, they won’t stop firing rockets.
Think about it, you can’t have it both ways.
I am not supporting terrorist or extremist behaviour. But you have to be sympathetic to the people of Gaza. Try to understand them they are living in an open prison. Israel controls everything that gets in and out of Gaza. It is Israel that decides how much food gets into Gaza. Now think if it was the other way round. It is not just through suicide bombing and violence that kills people, but also the way people are treated. Israel is killing Palestinians everyday but in a more inhumane way. They are dieing everyday with low self esteem, less self respect, less self worth and no hope. To many of them death is probably better then staying alive. Palestinian are suffering like the black people did in South Africa and in the 50’s and 60’s in USA. And i can not believe that the world is letting it happen