Who Bears More Responsibility for the War in Gaza?

[Lakhota]

Like almost all conflicts that have occurred in Israel, this latest war in Gaza has provoked a furious debate. Was Israel’s ground and air assault on the Gaza Strip justified by Hamas’s rocket attacks? Or were Hamas’s rocket attacks a justifiable response to Israel’s arrest of hundreds of Hamas supporters and officials? I am not going to defend Hamas’s charter, which describes Israel and the occupied territories as an “Islamic Waqf,” nor its strategy of hurling rockets at Israel, but I am also not going to defend Israel’s response. What matters to me, and what is often ignored, is the overall moral and political context in which this and past conflicts have occurred.

Israel is one of the world’s last colonial powers, and the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are its unruly subjects. Like many past anti-colonial movements, Hamas and Fatah are deeply flawed and have sometimes poorly represented their peoples, and sometimes unnecessarily provoked the Israelis and used tactics that violate the rules of war. But the Israeli government has continued to expand settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and to rule harshly over its subjects, while maintaining a ruinous blockade on Gaza. That’s the historical backdrop to the events now taking place.

MUCH MORE: Israel-Palestine: The History Behind their New War | New Republic

This is a good article, and worth reading by those who care to learn more about both sides of the conflict. It is extremely narrow-minded not to fully recognize the struggle of both sides.

 

[Beelzebub]

I'm torn on this question.

I think Israel is clearly at fault, because it attacked without anything but a manufactured pretext.

But the other side bears a great deal of responsibility because it allowed and encouraged the environment in which this kind of murder became possible. So yes, it is probably equal blame between Israel and the USA.

 

[Moonglow]

Great Britain, for conquering the ME and thinking they needed to control it...

 

[Lakhota]

Great Britain, for conquering the ME and thinking they needed to control it...

Good point.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Bush.

Has to be

Every other Obama fuck up is his fault, why stop now?

 

[PredFan]

It is clearly Hama's fault. They have broken every treaty ever agreed upon and the broke this one as well.

But you can't deal with an organization who's charter states that total and complete destruction of Israel is it's goal.

I commend the Israelis for their restraint and patience. They would have been justified in carpet bombing the entire area.

 

[Beelzebub]

The best thing would be for the UN to admit that Israel was a mistake, and it should never have tried to allocate land which didn't belong to the UN to a bunch of "moonies with F16's".

So Israel is forthwith cancelled, due to its crimes against humanity.

 

[DriftingSand]

Like almost all conflicts that have occurred in Israel, this latest war in Gaza has provoked a furious debate. Was Israel’s ground and air assault on the Gaza Strip justified by Hamas’s rocket attacks? Or were Hamas’s rocket attacks a justifiable response to Israel’s arrest of hundreds of Hamas supporters and officials? I am not going to defend Hamas’s charter, which describes Israel and the occupied territories as an “Islamic Waqf,” nor its strategy of hurling rockets at Israel, but I am also not going to defend Israel’s response. What matters to me, and what is often ignored, is the overall moral and political context in which this and past conflicts have occurred.

Israel is one of the world’s last colonial powers, and the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are its unruly subjects. Like many past anti-colonial movements, Hamas and Fatah are deeply flawed and have sometimes poorly represented their peoples, and sometimes unnecessarily provoked the Israelis and used tactics that violate the rules of war. But the Israeli government has continued to expand settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and to rule harshly over its subjects, while maintaining a ruinous blockade on Gaza. That’s the historical backdrop to the events now taking place.

MUCH MORE: Israel-Palestine: The History Behind their New War | New Republic

This is a good article, and worth reading by those who care to learn more about both sides of the conflict. It is extremely narrow-minded not to fully recognize the struggle of both sides.

You and I don't agree often but this is one of those exceptions to the rule.

 

[Lipush]

Israel is responsible for this war.

Surprised?

Yes, Hamas is a bloodthirsy organization, but the Netanyahu government knew. It knew about the tunnles, it knew about the massive amount of ammunition Hamas holds, and it chose to ignore the problem for the sake of.... I don't even know who.

Netanyahu chose to see the south as second class district, and his lame choise up till now cause Hamas to arm itself with rockets that reach Haifa. It armed itself under our watch, and our delay of dealing with the problem caused dozens of our people to die, Thank God, we have miracles.

Netanyahu has to deal with the problem once and for all, in case he surrenders to Hamas, he'll have to answer to both why he didn't deal with the problem sooner than later, and why he chose to surrender to a terrorist organization who's to be blamed for both Israeli and Palestinian deaths.

Israel must finish this war victorious. Only this way Netanyahu will be forgiven for fosaking intentionally, the lives of 1.5 million people, for 14 years.

 

[Lipush]

The best thing would be for the UN to admit that Israel was a mistake, and it should never have tried to allocate land which didn't belong to the UN to a bunch of "moonies with F16's".

So Israel is forthwith cancelled, due to its crimes against humanity.

And Hamas are totally peaceful

 

[Disir]

Hamas is responsible.

I am very familiar with this conflict and it's history.

 

[Lakhota]

Hamas is responsible.

I am very familiar with this conflict and it's history.

I disagree. A lot of very intelligent people who are also "very familiar with this conflict and it's history" also disagree.

 

[montelatici]

It is clearly Hama's fault. They have broken every treaty ever agreed upon and the broke this one as well.

But you can't deal with an organization who's charter states that total and complete destruction of Israel is it's goal.

I commend the Israelis for their restraint and patience. They would have been justified in carpet bombing the entire area.

That's like saying that it was the Mau Mau's fault in Kenya for the British massacre of native Kenyans. You can't deal with a colonial power that believes it has the right to control, occuoy and oppress the native people.

 

[Lipush]

Describe "intelligent people"

 

[westwall]

The best thing would be for the UN to admit that Israel was a mistake, and it should never have tried to allocate land which didn't belong to the UN to a bunch of "moonies with F16's".

So Israel is forthwith cancelled, due to its crimes against humanity.

How about British crimes? And Zimbabwean?, or how about them Russian crimes? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to cancel a country because of their crimes...

 

[Lakhota]

Is religion the root problem of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?

 

[Sweet_Caroline]

Is religion the root problem of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?

Yes, it is in the Quoran.

 

[montelatici]

Is religion the root problem of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?

Yes, it is in the Quoran.

So, it has nothing to do with the Jews evicting the native people of from most of Palestine and the siege of Gaza?

 

[eagle1462010]

Appeasement and the PC culture is responsible for the War. The World telling Israel to play nice in the Quicksand Box of the middle east instead of doing what needed to be done in the past after victories on the battlefield.

They should have never given back the territories after winning the Wars. They should have taken the land and held it, even if it meant driving those groups into countries like Jordan who fund the carnage from the safety of their country, while causing the people who live in these areas to live in poverty because of the continual influx of weapons and funding for orgs like Hamas, and others.

Israel should take this territory now, and do whatever is necessary to end this once and for all. However, they know the global community will condemn them if they do what needs to be done. Thus the Global Community is forcing endless War.

Thus appeasement, PC culture, and refusing to finish the job is at fault.

 

[Lakhota]

Is religion the root problem of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?

Yes, it is in the Quoran.

What about Jews as the co-called chosen people?

In Judaism, "chosenness" is the belief that the Jews are the chosen people, chosen to be in a covenant with God. This idea is first found in the Torah (the first five books of the Tanakh, which are also included in the Christian Bible) and is elaborated on in later books of the Hebrew Bible. Much is written about these topics in rabbinic literature. The three largest Jewish denominations—Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism—maintain the belief that the Jews have been chosen by God for a purpose.

Jews as the chosen people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia