P F Tinmore
Diamond Member
- Dec 6, 2009
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Saigon,
I see Hamas and the Israeli government as very much alike, they are like each other, they choose fighting as a way to resolve matters, and they, at times, both unlawfully target civilians, they both at times choose to engage in terrorism.
I do not support anyone's killings, whether it be lawful or unlawful (ie terrorism). I support each side talking to one another, I support Diplomacy.
I mostly agree with what you are saying, too.
But what you leave out is the fact that the Occupation is the primary event that keeps the fighting going. East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza are essentially what is left of what was set aside for a Palestinian State by the UN, the people have a right of self determination to have a state in those lands, a state free of Israeli Occupation, that is pretty clearly established by the intl legal authorities such as the International Court of Justice, either that scenario or Israel gives them equal rights iin one democratic state
(this latter option also effectively gives them their rights of self dtermination, because they become part of a democratic system, like all other residents).
Those Occupied always are oppressed, and the natural tendency is for an occupied people to resist their Occupations.
When we look right now at all of Israel and Palestine, the demographics are interesting, we have about 7 million Jews, 5.5 million Palestinians, and the birth rate of Palestinians has historically always been very high. And we today have both a Jewish and Palestinian population outside Palestine greater in numbers than those inside Palestine.
I also find myself thinking now about what happened in 70 AD, when a people in another time chose fighting, and how all that turned out.
I just started posting here, I do not know if you have been discussing the Palestinian political prisoners/hunger strikers. we are seeing militants more and more choose nonviolence, that is a positive development and this may change everything.
There is a Palestinian football player on a hunger strike right now, 80+ days on his hunger strike, likely on the verge of death, held for over 3 years as an enemy combatant, never charged with any crimes, not allowed visits with his family in Gaza. One cannot help but admire a man choosing such a road to take, I do not even think he is a Christian, but I have never encountered any person who looks more like Jesus.
Nonviolent self sacrifice as a response to Injustice, I think there is power in that, power to change the course of History.
Sherri
Those Occupied always are oppressed, and the natural tendency is for an occupied people to resist their Occupations.
The citizens of an occupying power are not considered "civilians" by the Forth Geneva Convention.
More racist lies.
In occupied territories; ' protection is accorded to all persons who are not of the nationality of the occupying State.
International Humanitarian Law - Fourth 1949 Geneva Convention