” First, remember that the pretext for Israel’s attack is that Hamas refused to renew the June 19/08 ceasefire and started rocket attacks in December/08. But Israel violated the ceasefire in two ways. First, by continuing to starve Gaza (as Israeli officials openly admit and have done for years), and second, by attacking Gaza on November 4/08 and killing six Hamas people. Why is this important? There is a pattern here: Israel has repeatedly broken truces, ceasefires, and peace talks with spectacular assassinations that involve killing large numbers of people. This has been a pattern for many years, and has included the assassinations of many of Hamas’s leaders (Abd-el-Aziz Rantisi, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, and many, many others). It is an explicit part of Israel’s strategy to provoke its opponents and get pretexts for further attacks”

Understand history and don’t give me bullshit about there could have been a plasetinian state in ‘48. wake up and keep your anti-human pro-zionist crap to yourself.

The ZNET article itself quotes Richard A. Falk!

The Richard A. Falk who claims

1. George W. Bush was complicit in the September 11 attacks

2. Who supports Ayatollah Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution.

He said: “the depiction of Khomeini as fanatical, reactionary and the bearer of crude prejudices seems certainly and happily false … To suppose that Ayatollah Khomeini is dissembling seems almost beyond belief.”

3. In October, 1973, Falk defended Karleton Armstrong, who pleaded guilty to bombing the University of Wisconsin Army Mathematics Research Center. The explosion killed a researcher working there. The New York Times reported that Falk “appealed for full amnesty for all resistors, including those who use violent tactics to oppose the” war in Vietnam. The Times further reported that Falk, “cited the Nuremberg Trials as precedent for defense assertions that private American citizens had “a right, and perhaps a duty” to actively oppose the war by any means”

4. His statements on Israel are infamous. The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, criticized Falk’s appointment by the United Nations Human Rights Council in an address to the council, stating: “He has taken part in a UN fact-finding mission which determined that suicide bombings were a valid method of ‘struggle’. Former US Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, criticized Falk’s appointment to the United Nations Human Rights Council, stating that “This is exactly why we voted against the new human rights council” and that “He was picked for a reason, and the reason is not to have an objective assessment — the objective is to find more ammunition to go after Israel”.

Hamas is a designated terrorist organisation by the EU for very good reason. Their Islamist agenda has nothing to do with Palestinian nationalism.

I totally support a two state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital of the two states.

Hamas explicitly rejects this agenda, and continues on its adventurist provocations, hiding among the civilian population of Gaza. Its lunatic seizure of power in Gaza put the Palestinian cause back by decades.

The morons that have contributed to this exchange would support the rejectionist Hamas, and if their opinions counted for anything this would doom the Palestinians to more years of misery.

Those who are comfortable to sit in their western armchairs and pontificate about the justness of Hamas (again, review Hamas’ own words) and support their forced “martyrdom” of the Palestinians do nothing to assist a resolution of the matter.

Those who demand of either side that they agree to the impossible doom the Palestinians to misery.

Keep your irrelevant prattling up, if it makes you feel better. Just dont imagine that it is genuine support for the innocent civilians in Israel or Palestine.

A genocide is being committted against the Palestinian people of Gaza, and the US & Europe look on……an absolute disgrace.

You simply have to read their own charter and writings, and those of their sponsors Iran - you dont have to believe me.

That the liberal left in this country (with which in other regards I firmly identify) continue to defend the medieval oppressors Hamas - who would take the poor Palestinians back to the dark ages - is a disgrace.

Israel and Jews know very well that if they were to rely on international opinion, there would be even fewer Jews left in this world. Many of Israel’s critics would be quite comfortable with this outcome.

With decent Palestinian nationalist leadership, there could have been a Palestinian state for the past twenty years. In fact, with decent leadership, there could have been a Palestinian state since 1948.

eric lundberg

ISRAEL OUT OF THE WEST BANK & GAZA…..NO SETTLEMENTS OF ANY KIND…JERUSALEM UNDER THE CONTROL OF INTERFAITH COMMISSION…..THESE ARE THE MINIMUM CONDITIONS FOR A SOLUTION TO THIS MESS, WHICH HAS BEEN CREATED SOLELY BY ISRAEL.

IDF = NAZI SS….MURDERERS…..

This is not something which can be debated. It is simple, demonstrable fact.

Hamas views civilian casualties as martyrs to the cause and does nothing to minimise them.

The overwhelming majority of Israelis (and the Israeli Government) want a two state solution. However, such a solution will never come about if the average Israeli believes that withdrawing from the West Bank will simply create a rocket launching ground as has happened in Gaza.

Hamas is not a movement that will ever accept a two state solution. They will simply keep firing thousands of rockets indiscriminately into Israel to fulfill their obsession with Jihad.

No government in the world could ignore their responsibility to protect their citizens.

Talk of a “holocaust” is obscene. If Israel wished to maximise civilian casualties, if could flatten Gaza. If Hamas had Israel’s firepower there would not be a Jew alive in Israel.

The civilian casuatlies in Gaza are a terrible consequence of the policies of Hamas and the way they have chosen to attack Israel. Israel has never wanted to attack Gaza, and demonstrated restraint over a long period of time.

A solution will be possible between two governments willing to accept withdrawal by Israel from the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states. This has been on the table from Israels perspective before, and will be again.

Hamas would never accept such an arrangement.

Other good organisations to donate to are:
Médecins Sans Frontières - http://www.msf.org/
Oxfam Gaza Fund - https://secure.oxfamamerica.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1981&1981.donation=form1
Electronic Intifada - http://electronicintifada.net/

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-why-do-they-hate-the-west-so-much-we-will-ask-1230046.html

Don’t cry people of Gaza, the world hasn’t forgotten you. We, too shed a tear for you.

Nowadays I prefer to call a spade a spade, as rational discussion with bigots is impossible. Most of my Jewish friends in Oz & overseas feel much the same way

Daniel: thanx for the info..will see what I can do

Somebody please call those brave men in white coats armed with syringes full of Thorazine & a straitjacket…..