Israel & the Arabs

[headlamp]

I had to fill the car up - the most I have ever paid for fuel. 98.9p/ litre. With the price of a barrel of oil now at $79, the Israel/Lebanon/Palestinian crisis looks like it could drag the whole region into war with the price of petrol going through the roof!

The key question is why did Hizbollah choose now to attack Israel. It obviously felt strong. Was the capture of the corporal in Gaza the catalyst or would it have happened anyway?

Hizbollah has been growing stronger in Southern Lebanon for years. Israel, in the interest of peace decided not to do anything about it as it looked to resolve the Palestinian issue. Israel had (wrongly) thought that as Hizbollah had joined the Lebanese Government that it would eventually legitimise itself and no longer be the terror organisation it is known to be. Equally with the election of a non-militariastic Prime Minister, Hizbollah might have thought that Israel would have sat back and done nothing. peronally I think Hizbollah and its backer - Iran, knew exactly what Israel would do - attack & try and destroy Hizbollah. The reason - to deflect attention away from Iran's nuclear programme - perhaps with Syria's blessing or in collaboration with them as they have lost their influence in Lebanon. By using Israel to destabilise the country it is a good excuse for Syria to send in troops to counter the Israeli force.

What annoys me is that the 'International Community' except the UK and the US generally condemn Israel for using disproportionate force. They do not seem to mention the continued bombardment of Syrian made rockets that penetrate deep into Israel territory, that a re aimed indiscriminately at towns and cities. Israel has responded by trying to cut off the supply lines, and attack the missile storage depots...which are cynically in heavily populated areas. However the G8 did issue a statement that seems to support Israel for its actions.

Israel have mobilised an infantry division, which is moving North - usually a pre-cursor to an invasion. Syria has also mobilised its reserves. Next week should be interesting!
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Using a mobile phone while driving a car should be made a capital offence!

[Mister James]

I'm quite often torn when pondering these issues, between deploring Israel's often heavy-handed retaliations, and despising the way that Arab nations keep the whole thing rolling for their own purposes.

Arab terrorist groups and militias, like the IRA and UVF etc, have gained far too much power off the back of all this suffering and violence to give it up easily, so they deliberately take decisions that will perpetuate the conflict.

Israel suffers too many attacks to stand idly by, and responds with overwhelming aggression, which while understandable, simply makes a new generation of Arab kids agree with their parents that they must drive the Jews into the sea.

Arab nations use the whole thing to support their own unpleasant regimes, by giving their populations an enemy to hate, and to blame everything unpleasant on. Hence 9/11 was laid at Mossad's door, etc.
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>Soultrader Mister James, I bet you are a copper
>Bazza Wow. Eyes like a shithouse rat, you...

[zaknafien]

[colin1]

im with zak. When we had the IRA blowing us up, we didnt attack catholics in northern ireland as a reprisal.

OK there may have been a few exceptions but nothing like Israels blatant lashing out in frustation at soft targets.

If anything, Israels behaviour is just going to increase support for the terrorist (or insurgent) organisations.

I think the only purpose it serves is to try to make the Israeli government look like its doing something, so it doesnt look week to Israeli voters.

Israel is more powerful than the palestinians, so the palestinians will always suffer more than the Israelis.

Even if you think Israel has a right to exist, they dont have a right to the occupied territories which they just invaded and have kept.

In the west bank alone, there are 2.4 million people living under occupation by a foreign power. The idea that any resistance against this occupation is terrorism, is daft.

If germany decided they were going to annex part of another country to increase their own security we wouldnt be so nice about it.

Israel should get out of the occupied territories and should suffer sanctions until it does. Obviously this wont happen.

Israel is a nasty vicious little country that gets away with murder because its got close relations with America.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[innominate]

I just despair at them & hate both sides.


Best thing that could happen there would be a sea level rise of about 200m.

Just drown the entire fucking region.
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I, as a responsible adult human being, will never concede the power to anyone to regulate my choice of what I put into my body, or where I go with my mind. From the skin inwards is my jurisdiction, is it not? I choose what may or may not cross that border. Here I am the customs agent. I am the coast-guard. I am the sole legal and spiritual government of this territory, and only the laws I choose to enact within myself are applicable.

[JonB]

If Britain and the US ever condemn anybody for using disproportionate force they will be known by the international community as the biggest hypocrits ever, what with the awful displays in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[G]

[headlamp]

[zaknafien]

[G]

[zaknafien]

[zaknafien]

Ooh look.

[akaDAVE]

As all this kicks off i realise how completely ignorant I am of the whole situation.

Here's a challenge:

Sum up the background of the conflict in the middle east in less than 50 words?
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GSXR600

[headlamp]

[zaknafien]

[G]

[zaknafien]

[G]

[zaknafien]

[G]

[zaknafien]

[Itchy]

[Mister James]

Jews lived in Israel back in biblical times.

Jews thrown/moved out to Europe etc.

WW2 - lots of dead jews.

Jews effectively invent Zionism - the search for a return home to a Jewish Homeland.

Jewish terrorists take advantage of the weakened British Empire post WW2, and after killing plenty of British squaddies, make the UK cut its losses and return the Palestinian Mandate to the UN.

Palestinians all leave the country so that the Arabs can crush the newly declared state of Israel.

Israel kicks their arses, and doesn't let the Palestinians back in.

Arab world spends the next 50 years using the Palestinians as a stick to beat the West over the head with, the Israelis as a Boogey man to retain their own power, and generally do nothing to help the situation, while losing 4 wars to the Jews.
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>Soultrader Mister James, I bet you are a copper
>Bazza Wow. Eyes like a shithouse rat, you...

[Itchy]

[Mister James]