Comments on: My Gaza trip left me with a strange sympathy for the Israelis

By: _Sarah_

_Sarah_ — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:18:23 +0000

These aren't conspiracy theories. They are historical fact. I've already provided documentation. If you choose to not look at it, that's your problem, but it doesn't change the facts.

By: Jake in Jerusalem

Jake in Jerusalem — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:20:40 +0000

Your conspiracy theories are quite remarkable. Sure the lot of the immigrant (anywhere) isn't always a very happy one in the short term, but to say that Jews had it better in the Arab and Islamic world than in Israel is sheer lunacy. Your stories about Israel sending terrorists squads to attack Jews so that they might move is like the stories about Hitler actually being a Jew doing the work of the Elders… beyond lunacy…

By: Thom

Thom — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:41:32 +0000

Oh, is that what she meant about villages being destroyed? I was talking about the areas destroyed in recent Gaza war, not ancient history. Funny how history repeats. The Arabs attacked Israel in 1948 to try to destroy it and exterminate the Jews. Result: Arabs lose the war and whine about the damage they suffered in the war they started. The Palestinians attack Israel in 2008 to try to kill Jews. Result: Palestinians lose the war and whine about the damage they suffered in the war they started. As for going along with being exiled from their own land. I can think of a group that has done that dozens of times. The Jews. Mass expulsions from people's lands hasn't been an issue for most of history because either the people just fled elsewhere without a formal acknowledgment, or the other side exterminated them. There is already precedent for Israel giving back land in exchange for peace: the Sinai. They captured it twice and gave it back twice. Israel has never started a war. They take territory when the Arabs attack them. Funny thing, I have played that way in empire building games. I build my economy, never start a war and take territory only when attacked. The AI is stupid enough to keep starting wars with me. The Arabs should be smarter than a strategy game AI and stop attacking Israel.

By: Thom

Thom — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:23:49 +0000

In 1948-1951 Hamas wasn't around by that name, but the same spirit of hatred against Jews and genocidal intent that Hamas holds was very much around. Boo-hoo, the people you tried to exterminate weren't as soft a target as you thought and you lost some land instead of killing the Jews and taking their land. Cue the violins. As for your strip-search:. In 1974, the year after the Yom Kippur war, in which the Arab armies came as close as they ever have to destroying Israel, you visited a town that was actually about half Muslim and half Christian (not a "Christian town" except by contrast with areas with larger proportions of Muslims, were you lying or ignorant about that in your post?) And your being a Christian mattered how? Muslims do not hold a monopoly on terrorism or weapon smuggling. And the people strip searching you knew in advance that you weren't smuggling weapons how? Just because your (for all they knew forged) passport said you were 19? Older than some suicide bombers.

By: Thom

Thom — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:03:47 +0000

Hamas have resorted to non-traditional attempted murder and terrorism. Not warfare. Attacks made in an attempt to win a war may be moral or immoral, depending on the circumstances. Attacks on civilians with no possible military benefit are always immoral. To harm another person to try to protect yourselves (as Israel did in invading Gaza) is human. To harm another person just for the sake of harming them (as Hamas does) is monstrous. There is no moral equivalence between the terrorism of Hamas, aimed at killing civilians, and the self defense of Israel, aimed at killing terrorists. Actually Israel is safer. The rate of attacks from Gaza against Israel has dropped precipitously since they attacked Gaza. BTW, smart and creative has nothing to do with solving the problem fairly. The problem is that there are no mutually acceptable peace terms. A sample problem. When you solve it, then you can start on the Palestinian and Israeli peace process: Find me a number that is greater than 10 and less than 2. In mathematical terms x>10 and x<2. Trick question. There is no such number. The Israelis will not accept any peace deal that includes the right of return. The Palestinians will not accept any peace deal that does not include the right of return. Do you dispute those premises? If not, exactly how could a mutually acceptable deal be made?

By: Mooser

Mooser — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:03:52 +0000

There are Israelis and there are Israelis. Any colonial project like Israel has lots and lots of losers, and not all of them are Palestinians. Only a very small subset of Israelis enjoy the benefits of Israel. The great majority of the poor schlamazels who make up Israel are losers, too. If only in the sense of never feeling secure, or knowing what's really going on. Never forget that: Not only is Israel a nakba for the people they pushed out of the way, it's no picnic for the Israelis.

By: Mooser

Mooser — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:59:47 +0000

"You've never answered in any detail on your impressions of Hamas" Richard Witty And you have never done anything but insinuate that Mondoweiss is a corrupt Palestinian propaganda outlet. You have questioned whether there is even a vestige of integrity in Mondoweiss, why the hell do you deserve an answer. Absolutely breathtaking sense of entitlement, and none of responsibility, but, after all, that's Zionism's hallmark.

By: andrew r

andrew r — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:46:21 +0000

Correction: We still prop up reactionary movements in the ME, namely the pro-Saudi fanatics in Lebanon and the ruling parties of Iraq, Dawa and SCIRI. Actually, our clients in Afghanistan aren't any less fanatic. Basically we abandoned the Egyptian brotherhood and the Afghan mujaheddin.

By: andrew r

andrew r — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:40:14 +0000

As if you really care how much progress Arabs made in anything. Germany and Poland can have Jewish communities again but we have to forget about the middle east, because while Jews lived there a lot longer than Europe, they have to be extracted from the barbarism and infused with Israeli progress. After years of western powers bombing the middle east and sponsoring the Muslim brotherhood (until they didn't…), you now want to act like this is an innate trait of that region. What would the USA look like today if our govt. was overthrown and the right wing militias were given power? It wouldn't be a safe climate for Jews, either. There's no hope for an equitable society in the ME until western interference ends.

By: _Sarah_

_Sarah_ — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:08:34 +0000

This link disappeared from my post for some reason (probably length): " target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSXSVWFyCk8