How is what Hamas is doing "defending" anything? They are repeatedly carrying out actions that they know for a fact will bring down the military might of Israel on them and everyone around them. That, surely, is the very opposite of defending themselves? In reality it is not far short of suicide... If they were in any way interested in stopping the Isreali bombing of Gaza the first thing they would do is stop firing rockets and mortars across the border. But, once again, we come back to the conclusion that they don't actually want to live in peace - they want to destroy Israel. Given their own tiny, puny firepower it should be obvious that they will never achieve that so their only hope is to keep antagonising Israel in the hope that the world will sympathise with them, that guillable Europeans will send them money (that will be spent on more weapons, not aid to civillians) and that other Arab nations will join in the fight against Isreal.
I think that's a good point. A war against Israel by all Muslim nations! Has Israel got the big bomb?
What would you expect of them? To continue living in the open air prison that is Gaza. To carry on being able to eat exactly the number of calories that Israel calculated would not starve them: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/w...ories-needed-for-gazans-in-blockade.html?_r=0 To continue living in an economy strangled by Israel and Egypt: Gaza chokes as Egypt's economic garotte tightens | World news | The Guardian Where Israel even controls how much water they can have: The Israeli 'watergate' scandal: The facts about Palestinian water - Middle East Israel News | Haaretz To continue living in a Gaza where they have no control over anything, no hope and no future. Oh I know, you want them to just carry on like good little subservients. And your reply will always focus on propagandism: terrorists, suicide bombers, rockets and the like, never addressing the real problems and causes: occupation and inequality.
Interesting. Has a similar ring to the gas pipeline running through Afghan. Same old story, follow the money.
So that's all right then? On that basis then if any other larger foreign power walks into this country and bombs the fuck out of us you'll be alright with that, will you? Political sensibilities aside. Words fail me ...
British and allied forces did not go into Afghanistan to conquer the land, to set up a permanent colony, and to kill, drive out or subjugate the population. We went in to Afghanistan to overthrow a vicious, tyrannical regime, to give the population a chance of peace and freedom, and to withdraw as soon as possible. So no, not at all like the Israelis, who did indeed go into Palestine to conquer the land, to set up a permanent colony, and to kill, drive out or subjugate the population.
OK, so that's the first thing they would do. So please enlighten us: what's the second thing they would do, according to you? What other action can the Palestinian people take? How are they supposed to defend themselves, if not by using the only weapons they have?
If you have changed your views during the course of this debate, I can only welcome that wholeheartedly and say well done.
War is the continuation of politics by other means and the key to winning is using a superior force with superior tactics to achieve some strategic objective. Fairness doesn't come into it. The Israel Defence Force is vastly superior to anything Hamas can put together. Therefore they will always come out on top. This is real politik Greyman, whether you or I like or approve of it is neither here nor there. Ask yourself why the leaders of Hamas provoke the Israelis into such a response. They do it to try to win the sympathy of the world by sacrificing their people knowing that they will lose. Is that reasonable ?
Na Afghan was about the big bloody pipeline securing the gas. Anyway, no one will ever beat the Afghans.
Israel is entirely dependent on the political, economic and military support provided by the Western world, principally the USA. If that dried up, Israel would be swept away. The Palestinians' only hope is that it will dry up one day, and their best strategy is directed towards that outcome. Actually I do feel rather sorry for the Israelis of the present day, who are not really responsible for what their grandfathers did in 1948 & 1956; they have inherited an untenable situation and have to make the best of it. There is a basic rule of strategy that when your position is untenable the only ultimate options are intransigence or surrender. That is why the Israelis are forced to be so intransigent - if they began to concede, their position would collapse.
