What is Israel's alternative to bombing Gaza?
I know this is a provocative title, but I don't understand the complications of the Arab-Israeli crisis too well. I'm looking for some information to help me find out where I stand. If you are prejudice against Jews or Muslims, please do not comment in this thread. And please give your opinions objectively.
So this is pretty much my understanding. I know that Jews were migrating to modern day Israel since the late 1800s and living peacefully with the Arabs. Then after WW2 the British gave Israel the land (where displaced Jews could flee after the Holocaust) and the Palestinians were pretty much booted out of what had been their own backyard for... centuries?
After many complications it got to the point where modern day Palestine is an unrecognised state (by the UN) with Hamas - a declared terrorist organisation with the objective of slaughtering Israel - in charge. Their policy has been to fire rockets into Israel, however most have been deterred by the Iron Dome system. However it is imperfect and some Israeli citizens have died and been injured as a result.
In retaliation, Israel (although on the face of it appears much too heavy handed) has bombed targets in Gaza (supposedly shooting from schools and hospitals and mosques) and has caused collateral damage where many innocent men, women and children have died as well as the destruction of said schools, hospitals and mosques. Obviously, this hasn't gone down well with the Arab community and much of the wider international community.
I appreciate their concerns, only I cannot think of an alternative solution? If only it were so easy. How much responsibility falls to Israel and how much Hamas? And how much Qatar for supposedly "holing up" Hamas generals to call the shots from a safe haven while their people are left sitting ducks?
Please can someone enlighten me. Is there another way to stop Hamas and save the lives of innocents in the meantime?
P.S. I hate the world we live in.
So this is pretty much my understanding. I know that Jews were migrating to modern day Israel since the late 1800s and living peacefully with the Arabs. Then after WW2 the British gave Israel the land (where displaced Jews could flee after the Holocaust) and the Palestinians were pretty much booted out of what had been their own backyard for... centuries?
After many complications it got to the point where modern day Palestine is an unrecognised state (by the UN) with Hamas - a declared terrorist organisation with the objective of slaughtering Israel - in charge. Their policy has been to fire rockets into Israel, however most have been deterred by the Iron Dome system. However it is imperfect and some Israeli citizens have died and been injured as a result.
In retaliation, Israel (although on the face of it appears much too heavy handed) has bombed targets in Gaza (supposedly shooting from schools and hospitals and mosques) and has caused collateral damage where many innocent men, women and children have died as well as the destruction of said schools, hospitals and mosques. Obviously, this hasn't gone down well with the Arab community and much of the wider international community.
I appreciate their concerns, only I cannot think of an alternative solution? If only it were so easy. How much responsibility falls to Israel and how much Hamas? And how much Qatar for supposedly "holing up" Hamas generals to call the shots from a safe haven while their people are left sitting ducks?
Please can someone enlighten me. Is there another way to stop Hamas and save the lives of innocents in the meantime?
P.S. I hate the world we live in.
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Original post by Alex50
I know this is a provocative title, but I don't understand the complications of the Arab-Israeli crisis too well. I'm looking for some information to help me find out where I stand. If you are prejudice against Jews or Muslims, please do not comment in this thread. And please give your opinions objectively.
So this is pretty much my understanding. I know that Jews were migrating to modern day Israel since the late 1800s and living peacefully with the Arabs. Then after WW2 the British gave Israel the land (where displaced Jews could flee after the Holocaust) and the Palestinians were pretty much booted out of what had been their own backyard for... centuries?
After many complications it got to the point where modern day Palestine is an unrecognised state (by the UN) with Hamas - a declared terrorist organisation with the objective of slaughtering Israel - in charge. Their policy has been to fire rockets into Israel, however most have been deterred by the Iron Dome system. However it is imperfect and some Israeli citizens have died and been injured as a result.
In retaliation, Israel (although on the face of it appears much too heavy handed) has bombed targets in Gaza (supposedly shooting from schools and hospitals and mosques) and has caused collateral damage where many innocent men, women and children have died as well as the destruction of said schools, hospitals and mosques. Obviously, this hasn't gone down well with the Arab community and much of the wider international community.
I appreciate their concerns, only I cannot think of an alternative solution? If only it were so easy. How much responsibility falls to Israel and how much Hamas? And how much Qatar for supposedly "holing up" Hamas generals to call the shots from a safe haven while their people are left sitting ducks?
Please can someone enlighten me. Is there another way to stop Hamas and save the lives of innocents in the meantime?
P.S. I hate the world we live in.
So this is pretty much my understanding. I know that Jews were migrating to modern day Israel since the late 1800s and living peacefully with the Arabs. Then after WW2 the British gave Israel the land (where displaced Jews could flee after the Holocaust) and the Palestinians were pretty much booted out of what had been their own backyard for... centuries?
After many complications it got to the point where modern day Palestine is an unrecognised state (by the UN) with Hamas - a declared terrorist organisation with the objective of slaughtering Israel - in charge. Their policy has been to fire rockets into Israel, however most have been deterred by the Iron Dome system. However it is imperfect and some Israeli citizens have died and been injured as a result.
In retaliation, Israel (although on the face of it appears much too heavy handed) has bombed targets in Gaza (supposedly shooting from schools and hospitals and mosques) and has caused collateral damage where many innocent men, women and children have died as well as the destruction of said schools, hospitals and mosques. Obviously, this hasn't gone down well with the Arab community and much of the wider international community.
I appreciate their concerns, only I cannot think of an alternative solution? If only it were so easy. How much responsibility falls to Israel and how much Hamas? And how much Qatar for supposedly "holing up" Hamas generals to call the shots from a safe haven while their people are left sitting ducks?
Please can someone enlighten me. Is there another way to stop Hamas and save the lives of innocents in the meantime?
P.S. I hate the world we live in.
It is sad because I read that palestine government tried stopping him loads of times and calling of the war but he just doesn't want to stop.
People in modern society and trying to defend him by saying 'well they started it'
But if someone is willing to stop killing, then there isn't any harm standing down.
Innocents are dying and the media makes it worse because people try their hardest to justify israel government.
People are finding reasons to support each side no matter what even if it has nothing to with the main reasons they are at war.
I think the main protest should be to stop the bombing, whether israel or palestine stand down first.
This is jsut sad and CRUEL
What you have to remember is that those on the Gaza strip are only human. Over 40% of the people there are under 15 years old, and the median age there is only 18. Most of Gaza's denizens have seen their parents, family, killed by Israeli forces. This is more than occasional collateral damage. The understandable rage and simple fear that these children must be feeling was always going to be exploited. Even so, we can't forget that they're bloody children! If you're a Palestinian adult, watching your nation's children get slaughtered, and seeing your property slowly get bull-dozered, is obviously going to have you give in to despair, and lead to the handing the of reigns over to the most resolute governmental authority you can find.
There isn't going to be a perfect solution, but Israel has to stop their lust for ever-expending territory. Previous borders need to be restored, lest we see a rotten mountain of young corpses stack-up. A nation that doesn't feel forever under siege, that doesn't have to deal with massacre, is going to be less likely to mandate extreme governments.
More reading, if you want to hear what even Israeli defense forces admit to having done: http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/
There isn't going to be a perfect solution, but Israel has to stop their lust for ever-expending territory. Previous borders need to be restored, lest we see a rotten mountain of young corpses stack-up. A nation that doesn't feel forever under siege, that doesn't have to deal with massacre, is going to be less likely to mandate extreme governments.
More reading, if you want to hear what even Israeli defense forces admit to having done: http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/
(edited 8 years ago)
The problem with the Israel-Palestine conflict is that both sides have a justifiable reason to be there. The land has changed hands countless times over the centuries between various groups of people. Both groups can claim "this land is mine" at some point or another. There is even a music video:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-evIyrrjTTY
The solution to the conflict has to come from a peaceful resolution between the two nations. In my view, Israel should treat Palestinians as equals and give them equal rights under the law, they should gradually allow Palestinians to enter Israel and eventually amalgamate the two states together, changing the name of IsraelPalestine to something Jews and Muslims can both get behind. Give Hamas no power to say that the Palestinian people are treated unfairly.
The reason this won't happen is because Israel are scared that once inside, Palestinians would create instability and terror within Israel. The state needs to man up and take responsibility for the state it is essentially choking to death, and stop trying to achieve a 100% Jewish nation.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-evIyrrjTTY
The solution to the conflict has to come from a peaceful resolution between the two nations. In my view, Israel should treat Palestinians as equals and give them equal rights under the law, they should gradually allow Palestinians to enter Israel and eventually amalgamate the two states together, changing the name of IsraelPalestine to something Jews and Muslims can both get behind. Give Hamas no power to say that the Palestinian people are treated unfairly.
The reason this won't happen is because Israel are scared that once inside, Palestinians would create instability and terror within Israel. The state needs to man up and take responsibility for the state it is essentially choking to death, and stop trying to achieve a 100% Jewish nation.
Original post by Alex50
Then after WW2 the British gave Israel the land (where displaced Jews could flee after the Holocaust) and the Palestinians were pretty much booted out of what had been their own backyard for... centuries?
I'll try to address the main question in a bit, but for now a bit of clarification:
A lot of people get confused by this part of the history, especially because what people use 'Palestine' and 'Palestinian' mean now is not what they meant before the middle of the 20th century.
First:
Up until 1948, 'Palestine' and 'Palestinian' were not terms which meant 'Arab, not Jewish' and could not be used in opposition to 'Israel' and 'Israeli.' Palestinian was a more or less neutral term for those of all ethnicities residing in Palestine, which was a multi-ethnic Imperial province ruled for a long time by the Turks and then later by the British. It had not been ruled by local people since the time of the Jewish Hasmonean Kingdom, which fell to the Romans, who were the ones who imposed the name Palaestina on it after crushing a Jewish revolt. Jews in the British period were actually a bit more likely to identify as Palestinan than Arabs, who frequently identified more with pan-Arabism or with Greater Syria. Israel, the state of the Palestinian Jews, could just as easily have been called Palestine, and we could today just as easily be talking not about Israelis and Palestinians but about Palestinians (the Jewish state) and Cisjordanians (the Arabs), for example. This is vitally important to understand because the impresaion that a lot of people have of the history is shaped by names which have actually changed their meaning or are anachronistically applied.
Second:
The British did not give the Jews or 'Israel' any land. The British goverment promised, in 1917, that they would support the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. About a year earlier, they also, slightly more ambiguously, promised certain Arab leaders that Palestine would become part of a unified Arab sultinate encompassing most of the Middle East, after the Arabs helped defeat the Ottoman Empire. In the end, the British turned Palestine over to neither Arabs nor Jews, but rather turned the issue over to the UN, which reccommended that the territory be paritioned into Jewish and Arab states. The Jews accepted the plan, but the Arabs didn't. It was never implemented, instead, a war broke out between Jews and Arabs in Palestine, and upon the withdrawl of the British and the declaration of a Jewish state, the surrounding Arab nations invaded. The current borders are the result of that war and another one in '67, the Oslo Accords, and the withdrawl of 2005.
Hamas launched it first suicide bombing in the 1990s. This was a violent response to the Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories among other reasons.
The suicide bombing claimed many Israeli civilians so it did create some sort of a divide in the Palestinian community where one group wanted to rebel with violence and the other well ...non-violently.
So around 200X, after Yasser Arafat passed away, Hamas and Palestine Authority gained control to political govern Palestine. I think Hamas won the majority in the parliament.
Prior to contrary belief, Hamas's objective is not the destruction of Israelis but to end the Israel occupation in the Palestinian territories.
To answer your question; Israeli's continued military aggression and ruling is clearly making the whole situation worse. To the point that Iran and Hezbollah has openly supported Hamas' violent tactics. With USD 3 billion they receive as military aid from US, they could perhaps perfect their Iron dome and withdraw the illegal ruling in the Palestinian territories?
The suicide bombing claimed many Israeli civilians so it did create some sort of a divide in the Palestinian community where one group wanted to rebel with violence and the other well ...non-violently.
So around 200X, after Yasser Arafat passed away, Hamas and Palestine Authority gained control to political govern Palestine. I think Hamas won the majority in the parliament.
Prior to contrary belief, Hamas's objective is not the destruction of Israelis but to end the Israel occupation in the Palestinian territories.
To answer your question; Israeli's continued military aggression and ruling is clearly making the whole situation worse. To the point that Iran and Hezbollah has openly supported Hamas' violent tactics. With USD 3 billion they receive as military aid from US, they could perhaps perfect their Iron dome and withdraw the illegal ruling in the Palestinian territories?
Speaking to the main question:
The central fact to understand about the situation in Gaza is that Gaza militant groups, which now include Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and a local ISIS chapter, do not in any way whatsoever have any sort of legimate claim to in any way protect the people of Gaza from Israel. On the contrary, the activity of Arab militants in Gaza, and their use of Gaza as a base to launch attacks on Israel (and Egypt), is the absolute only reason why people in Gaza are in any danger whatsover from Israel. The absolute only reason why Israel imposes any sort of blockade on Gaza, or conducts any sort of air strike or incursion on anything at all, is to counter the threat of attacks on Israel by Gaza militants committed to unceasing and illegitimate war against Israel and, for a great many of them, Jews worldwide.
The central fact to understand about the situation in Gaza is that Gaza militant groups, which now include Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and a local ISIS chapter, do not in any way whatsoever have any sort of legimate claim to in any way protect the people of Gaza from Israel. On the contrary, the activity of Arab militants in Gaza, and their use of Gaza as a base to launch attacks on Israel (and Egypt), is the absolute only reason why people in Gaza are in any danger whatsover from Israel. The absolute only reason why Israel imposes any sort of blockade on Gaza, or conducts any sort of air strike or incursion on anything at all, is to counter the threat of attacks on Israel by Gaza militants committed to unceasing and illegitimate war against Israel and, for a great many of them, Jews worldwide.
Original post by Alex50
After many complications it got to the point where modern day Palestine is an unrecognised state (by the UN) with Hamas - a declared terrorist organisation with the objective of slaughtering Israel - in charge. Their policy has been to fire rockets into Israel, however most have been deterred by the Iron Dome system. However it is imperfect and some Israeli citizens have died and been injured as a result.
In retaliation, Israel (although on the face of it appears much too heavy handed) has bombed targets in Gaza (supposedly shooting from schools and hospitals and mosques) and has caused collateral damage where many innocent men, women and children have died as well as the destruction of said schools, hospitals and mosques. Obviously, this hasn't gone down well with the Arab community and much of the wider international community.
I appreciate their concerns, only I cannot think of an alternative solution? If only it were so easy. How much responsibility falls to Israel and how much Hamas? And how much Qatar for supposedly "holing up" Hamas generals to call the shots from a safe haven while their people are left sitting ducks?
Please can someone enlighten me. Is there another way to stop Hamas and save the lives of innocents in the meantime?
P.S. I hate the world we live in.
In retaliation, Israel (although on the face of it appears much too heavy handed) has bombed targets in Gaza (supposedly shooting from schools and hospitals and mosques) and has caused collateral damage where many innocent men, women and children have died as well as the destruction of said schools, hospitals and mosques. Obviously, this hasn't gone down well with the Arab community and much of the wider international community.
I appreciate their concerns, only I cannot think of an alternative solution? If only it were so easy. How much responsibility falls to Israel and how much Hamas? And how much Qatar for supposedly "holing up" Hamas generals to call the shots from a safe haven while their people are left sitting ducks?
Please can someone enlighten me. Is there another way to stop Hamas and save the lives of innocents in the meantime?
P.S. I hate the world we live in.
* Firstly, the State of Palestine is recognised by 135 out of the 193 member states of the UN, including Sweden. At the end of 2014, both the British and French Parliaments voted to recognise the State of Palestine, although in Britain, this did not affect government policy. At the UN, it is currently a non-member observer state, on par with the Vatican City.
* Secondly, Hamas is only in charge of the Gaza Strip, which remains occupied by Israel. Fatah, a more secular party, is in charge of the West Bank, which also remains occupied by Israel, and its settlements there are illegal under international law.
* Thirdly, Hamas's policy has not been to fire rockets into Israel in the manner in which you describe. In fact, the conflicts have often been started by Israel. For instance, since the 2012 ceasefire agreed by both Israel and Hamas, Israel had broken it numerous times and, in June 2014, when they presided over the illegal mass arrest of hundreds of Hamas political officials in the West Bank and assassinated two officials in Gaza, Hamas retaliated. Hamas, though, had not fired a single rocket into Israel since 2012.
* Fourth, Israel have not only indiscriminately bombed civilians, but they've used human shields, deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and their internal investigations are highly flawed, creating a culture, described by many Israeli soldiers in testimonies in Breaking the Silence, in which Palestinians are dehumanised and, as a result, many deliberate, individual atrocities occur during conflicts.
* Fifth, as long as Israel continues to occupy, steal and annex Palestinian land, the violence will continue. In the Occupied West Bank, for instance, Amnesty International reports: "Israeli forces carried out unlawful killings of Palestinian protesters, including children, and maintained an array of oppressive restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement while continuing to promote illegal settlements and allow Israeli settlers to attack Palestinians and destroy their property with near total impunity. Israeli forces detained thousands of Palestinians, some of whom reported being tortured, and held around 500 administrative detainees without trial. Within Israel, the authorities continued to demolish homes of Palestinian Bedouin in “unrecognized villages” in the Negev/Naqab region and commit forcible evictions. They also detained and summarily expelled thousands of foreign migrants, including asylum-seekers, and imprisoned Israeli conscientious objectors."
* Therefore, it's not just Israeli conduct in conflicts that leads to tensions, it's the fact that they continue to take more land from the Palestinians and restrict Palestinians' freedom, resulting in segregated bus systems, roads and pavements; discriminatory water allocation systems; and a biased criminal justice system which acts in favour of the Israeli settler-colonialists and against the Palestinians.
As Desmond Tutu described: "I have been to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of Apartheid. I have witnessed the humiliation of Palestinian men, women, and children made to wait hours at Israeli military checkpoints routinely when trying to make the most basic of trips to visit relatives or attend school or college, and this humiliation is familiar to me and the many black South Africans who were corralled and regularly insulted by the security forces of the Apartheid government."
Thus, Israel's alternative to bombing Gaza is to end the occupation. Israel's security concerns are important, of course, but the Palestinians are perfectly willing to negotiate land-swaps and other terms in order to meet the security needs of the State of Israel, which the Palestinian Liberation Organisation has recognised since 1993. Ending the Occupation will also erode support for Hamas, which is a disgusting, extreme right-wing religious organisation at the end of the day.
(edited 8 years ago)
A few things to remember.
Before and just after Israel left Gaza, the border was open. Tens of thousands of 'palestinians' used to cross into Israel every day to work.
The terminal crossing was built specifically in mind for large volumes of people passing through. I believe it can handle a million people per day if necessary (don't quote me on that, it's from memory)
When Israel left Gaza, they outlined what would follow on if there was quiet. One of these pledges posted on the Israeli government website was "Israel will consider the establishment of a seaport and airport in the Gaza Strip, in accordance with arrangements to be agreed upon"
Unfortunately, what happened was that as soon as Israel vacated, instead of seizing the moment to build up Gaza and eventually have a sea port and airport, the 'palestinians' decided to move their rocket launchers onto the vacated land (which brought Israeli towns into closer range) and started bombarding Israeli towns and cities.
When Hamas came to power shortly after and slaughtered their slightly more moderate political opponents (Fatah) this then put Gaza wholly under Hamas control (a group dedicated to the destruction of Israel and genocide of the Jewish people). Hamas then chased out the EU monitors at the Rafah crossing which meant weapons could be easily smuggled in .
It was at this point that Israel initiated the blockade. After several attacks in Egypt, they too placed a blockade on Gaza.
So as we can see, it's been 'palestinian' actions that have brought about the situation today.
So in answer to the question, Israel has tried everything else and has no option but to fire back when attacked.
Before and just after Israel left Gaza, the border was open. Tens of thousands of 'palestinians' used to cross into Israel every day to work.
The terminal crossing was built specifically in mind for large volumes of people passing through. I believe it can handle a million people per day if necessary (don't quote me on that, it's from memory)
When Israel left Gaza, they outlined what would follow on if there was quiet. One of these pledges posted on the Israeli government website was "Israel will consider the establishment of a seaport and airport in the Gaza Strip, in accordance with arrangements to be agreed upon"
Unfortunately, what happened was that as soon as Israel vacated, instead of seizing the moment to build up Gaza and eventually have a sea port and airport, the 'palestinians' decided to move their rocket launchers onto the vacated land (which brought Israeli towns into closer range) and started bombarding Israeli towns and cities.
When Hamas came to power shortly after and slaughtered their slightly more moderate political opponents (Fatah) this then put Gaza wholly under Hamas control (a group dedicated to the destruction of Israel and genocide of the Jewish people). Hamas then chased out the EU monitors at the Rafah crossing which meant weapons could be easily smuggled in .
It was at this point that Israel initiated the blockade. After several attacks in Egypt, they too placed a blockade on Gaza.
So as we can see, it's been 'palestinian' actions that have brought about the situation today.
So in answer to the question, Israel has tried everything else and has no option but to fire back when attacked.
I'm afraid Israel will never stop this. It will be excuse after excuse. Anything to prolong their stay in that area. The Jewish people have been waiting thousands of years for a "homeland". They even managed to convince Jewish Americans to back Zionism in early late 1800s/early 1900s.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Skip_Snip
Palestine being a recognised state shouldn't even for a second be considered, while Hamas are in charge.
I'd sooner see Palestine taken over by Israel, and it having a better ruler installed.
I'd sooner see Palestine taken over by Israel, and it having a better ruler installed.
Why? They were democratically elected by the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Original post by HItchslapped
Why? They were democratically elected by the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Which says a lot about the Palestinian people! Hamas exist to destroy Israel, why should such a group be given legitimacy?
Original post by Skip_Snip
Which says a lot about the Palestinian people! Hamas exist to destroy Israel, why should such a group be given legitimacy?
Well take a look at the record, just last year over 1400 civilians were killed by the IDF, predominately those included women and children. According to Amnesty international and the UN, Israeli forces targeted designated UN shelters and schools, hospitals and civilian complexes etc.
How many Israeli civilians killed exactly? Yeah the number was six, and you say Hamas exist to destroy Israel.....?
Original post by HItchslapped
Well take a look at the record, just last year over 1400 civilians were killed by the IDF, predominately those included women and children. According to Amnesty international and the UN, Israeli forces targeted designated UN shelters and schools, hospitals and civilian complexes etc.
How many Israeli civilians killed exactly? Yeah the number was six, and you say Hamas exist to destroy Israel.....?
How many Israeli civilians killed exactly? Yeah the number was six, and you say Hamas exist to destroy Israel.....?
If Israel wanted to, it could flatten Palestine. If Hamas cared so much about their citizens, they wouldn't keep making futil attacks, when they know the repercussions.
Original post by Skip_Snip
If Israel wanted to, it could flatten Palestine. If Hamas cared so much about their citizens, they wouldn't keep making futil attacks, when they know the repercussions.
Israel could easily flatten Palestine but what is stopping them is not their morals as you saw just last year but the fact that if they did annihilate an entire population, then there would be international outrage and the USA and to a large extent the UN would not be able to defend Israel as it has been doing so. Just like Turkey could annihilate the Kurds or the USA could annihilate ISIS if they nuked Iraq and Syria killing millions of people but of course their foreign policy agendas are limited to international public opinion and authority. What kind of argument is that?
Your argument is about as convincing as an Hamas leader saying 'if the IDF cared so much about their citizens, they wouldn't keep making futil attacks when they know the repercussions'. What has that got to do with the facts and the factual record? The fact of the matter is that Israel has committed war crimes according to the UN security council and international court of Justice to not only the Palestinians but to the Lebanese since Israel invaded Lebanon five times. Any logical individual could argue Israel should therefore not have it's own state, especially when it's illegally occupying Palestinian land.
Original post by Skip_Snip
x
Take notes
Original post by Skip_Snip
Nice way to hugely simplify things.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by DiceTheSlice
Take notes
Take notes
Nice way to hugely simplify things.
Original post by Skip_Snip
Nice way to hugely simplify things.
But an accurate representation, nevertheless.
Original post by HItchslapped
How many Israeli civilians killed exactly? Yeah the number was six, and you say Hamas exist to destroy Israel.....?
The fact that they have not been very sucessful doesn't change the fact that the elimination of the State of Israel is their intention. And while it's easy to scoff at the relatively low Israeli casuality rate as a result of their rocket fire - let's not forget that during the 1990s and early 2000s Hamas terrorists constantly launched suicide bomb attacks agaisnt Israeli civilians, killing hundreds. They deliberately and indiscriminantly targeted civilians (a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions), deliberately spreead terror amongst the Israeli civilian population (a Crime against Humanity), and concealed their arms and fought without distinctive insignia (making them illegal combatants).
According to B'Tselem, hardly an organization of Zionist shills, 72% of all Israeli casualties during the Second Intifada were civilians - compared to 48-62% of Palestinians.
Original post by Sir Candour
What you have to remember is that those on the Gaza strip are only human. Over 40% of the people there are under 15 years old, and the median age there is only 18. Most of Gaza's denizens have seen their parents, family, killed by Israeli forces. This is more than occasional collateral damage. The understandable rage and simple fear that these children must be feeling was always going to be exploited. Even so, we can't forget that they're bloody children! If you're a Palestinian adult, watching your nation's children get slaughtered, and seeing your property slowly get bull-dozered, is obviously going to have you give in to despair, and lead to the handing the of reigns over to the most resolute governmental authority you can find.
Israelis could make the same argument regarding their election of right-wing groups. Unless you're suggesting that only Palestinians are allowed to be brutalized by war. In my own native country - which has a population roughly the same as Gaza - over 10,000 civilians were killed in the space of a few months. Yet we never elected a group even remotely comparable to Hamas or even Fatah.
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