Thread: The conflict in Gaza.

I realise that this is a very delicate subject, and I'm not posting a thread about it to start a fight.
The reason I want to discuss the subject is that in Norway, politicians and the media seem to be blind to the fact that this is a complex situation with two sides.They blame Israel for everything, infact Norway is the only country in Europe that recognizes Hamas.Personally I don't share that view.
However, I'm curious to how this conflict is regarded in other countries in the world.And please, keep it sivilized.

Kristoffer

I don't know the official Australian position, but I believe we did not support the UN resolution.

Personally, my opinion is that the only real outcome of this is innocent lives lost. Israel will not stop Hamas with this ground and air strikes. Hamas will not remove Israel with its rockets. That's just the reality. But it seems reality and humanity take a back seat when revenge, fear and anger are behind the wheel.

Stupid, stupid people.

James.

In general I think both sides are the bad guys in this conflict. It is the modern Gordian knot. The Arab league denies Israel has the right to exist and Israel keeps an apartheid state with the Palestinians as second class citizens. Hamas preaches hate and encourages women and children to use themselves as human shields. With tanks lined up at the Gaza border for days if not weeks, why didn't the rocket attacks target those obvious weapons rather than firing on civilians?

I think that many countries' governments call for peace and sometimes even decry Israel because they don't want to experience a radical Muslim uprising in their own back yard.

But what do I know.

X

I agree with X to a great extent, especially the second paragraph. If more world leaders would decry the terrorism, rather than let it keep them in check we could probably work up a lasting truce. I dont think Israel has done herself any favors with her segregation, but then again you cant blame her when she keeps getting hit from the inside as well as the outside. Correct me if I am wrong(Im sure someone will) but wasnt it Golda Mier who said "We will have peace when they love their children more than they hate us!" The Palestinian leadership encites mistrust and hatred simply to garner respect and power from other power mongers as well as the gullible. These people have no love for anybody, they should not be tolerated by anybody.

I agree nun2sharp.The problem is that many people seem to believe that Hamas will behave in a civilized manner once a truce is established, I think not.They don't operate by morale parameters that we take for granted in the western part of the world.I would compere extremist like Hamas to the charakter "Joker", by the late Heath Ledger, in "The dark knight".You can not beat him with convetional methods, because he has no moral limits, he has no clear objective, that is why he can terrorise without being stopped.If batman arrest a criminal, he will kill 5 innocent people.With such an enemy, Israel cannot win with reason and diplomacy.The sad part is that it is innocent children that pay for it, like in any war...

I disagree. There is more than one type of Diplomacy. Take away the Hamas support base, and you take away their power. And you do not have to annihilate hundreds of thousands of people to take away a support base. You simply offer them something better.

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

I disagree. There is more than one type of Diplomacy. Take away the Hamas support base, and you take away their power. And you do not have to annihilate hundreds of thousands of people to take away a support base. You simply offer them something better.

James.

And what would that be?

Originally Posted by Jimbo

I disagree. There is more than one type of Diplomacy. Take away the Hamas support base, and you take away their power. And you do not have to annihilate hundreds of thousands of people to take away a support base. You simply offer them something better.

James.

If we want to take away Humas's support base the the best way would be to bomb Iran back to the stone age. Hopefully Israel can get to this next line item on their to-do list.

What can we offer them. They have already been promised riches in this life and paradise in the next by their leaders for pursuing exactly the actions and attitudes we decry. How can we compete with that? There is nothing better.

Theres the old saying: "some would create a desert and call it peace" well that whole area is already a desert, so how can you go wrong

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I Correct me if I am wrong(Im sure someone will) but wasnt it Golda Mier who said "We will have peace when they love their children more than they hate us!" .

thanks for this quote because I'd never seen it, but always thought that was the answer.

There is no way for Israel to deal with terrorist attacks and always look pure like Ghandi. And the world leaders that preach at Israel need to come down hard on the terrorism rather than having their cake and eating it too, and need to come down hard on the nearby states that say Israel should be wiped into the ocean - you can't expect a nation facing that to act nice.

Tactically, they need to decide whether they are going wipe Hamas out (and if so, do it) or not, but I suspect they are having some fierce diplomacy right now before making a final, ugly move.

I have to admit I haven't been following this - is it true that it was prompted when a six month truce expired and Hamas celebrated by launching a bunch of missiles? If so, the Gaza people elected that Hamas leadership and now will have to live with the ramifications of their duly elected leadership's actions. Right?

Just to play devil's advocate Chimensch, but shouldn't Hamas have been targeting the Israeli forces lined up at the Gaza border rather than the civilians with their rockets?

X