Israel v. Hamas - Everyone's a winner!!

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
I've never said that they are evil.

I've said that the way they are treated in their region, and the way people view them externally is largely a result of their actions.

I do not support terrorism, do not support using civilians as a shield, but frankly the US media is going to be more pro Israel than they are Pro Hamas or Hezbollah, and there have been enough blatant acts by Israel that are not disputed by them (ie, not propaganda from the other side) that my sympathy for the plight of the poor hard done by Jewish state is limited.

I have immense sympathy for the residents of Israel, because they reap what their hard line politicians sew. Most Americans don't choose to be arrogant or hated either, but if their leaders choose to do unpopular things then unfortunately (and unfairly) they will be judged accordingly.

Militants in Gaza are in a position where there is no official means by which they can get an end to Israeli occupation or to regain their captured land. With no official means available, they resort to unofficial means.

(bizarrely, it's very similar to riders building illegal trails because there is no framework in place for them to build legally in the local nature reserves) I don't condone the action, but I understand the circumstances that lead to it.

As for the indigenous peoples argument, Canadians are on eskimo soil, Americans are on American Indian soil, are you suggesting that until all that plus Australia is given back, no one can criticize Israel for its actions? It's a non argument.

there are political power brokers in Israel who know that the best way to reinforce their power is to perpetuate a state of conflict. It's a rich vein that they've been mining ever since I can remember watching the news as a 5 year old in 1977 (and no doubt for 3 decades before that).

I have no issue with Jews, or with Israeli's, i have an issue with the policies and the behavior of their government and their military.
 

Ryan

Radministrator
ten letters
The only people who say that they were fired on from those sites are Israeli military mouthpieces.

Unfortunately, there are numerous corroborated statements from a number of UN sources stating that there was no Hamas infiltration at any of these sites; the schools/shelters in particular are guarded and monitored specifically to prevent Hamas gunmen getting in and engineering the sort of propaganda stunt / victory you are talking about.

Call me simple minded if you will, but I put a lot more stock on what the UN say about the situation inside Gaza than what the Israeli military say.
 

RacelineBoy

Likes Dirt
%$^@ just spent 2 hours reply to FR Drew stupid comments and i pressed submit the power when out. ARRRG. i will do it again tomorrow.

i am so devo.


Please watch all those video (links).
 
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gravelclimber

Likes Dirt
Replies in red

I've never said that they are evil.

No, that was me. If they are guilty of what you think they are - that makes them evil in my book.

I've said that the way they are treated in their region, and the way people view them externally is largely a result of their actions.

I do not support terrorism, do not support using civilians as a shield, but frankly the US media is going to be more pro Israel than they are Pro Hamas or Hezbollah, and there have been enough blatant acts by Israel that are not disputed by them (ie, not propaganda from the other side) that my sympathy for the plight of the poor hard done by Jewish state is limited.

I'm not sure them fighting for sympathy. Security would seem to be the reason.


I have immense sympathy for the residents of Israel, because they reap what their hard line politicians sew. Most Americans don't choose to be arrogant or hated either, but if their leaders choose to do unpopular things then unfortunately (and unfairly) they will be judged accordingly.

Israel is a democracy. The war is popular. When these events happen they tend to vote for hard line politicians. Binyamin Netanyahu will probably win the next election, and that's a bad thing. It's not completely unfair to judge the people for what their government does - after all, little johnny's actions with the Tampa here won him an election. Who's responsible for that?

Militants in Gaza are in a position where there is no official means by which they can get an end to Israeli occupation or to regain their captured land. With no official means available, they resort to unofficial means.

Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza. Perhaps you can explain how firing rockets randomly at Israeli cities 'regains their captured land'? I don't get it.

(bizarrely, it's very similar to riders building illegal trails because there is no framework in place for them to build legally in the local nature reserves) I don't condone the action, but I understand the circumstances that lead to it.

As for the indigenous peoples argument, Canadians are on eskimo soil, Americans are on American Indian soil, are you suggesting that until all that plus Australia is given back, no one can criticize Israel for its actions? It's a non argument.

No, I didn't say that. Israelis have as much right to their land as non-indigenous people have to countries colonized at an earlier date. (nobody is involved in the fighting now played any role in the formation Israel). I see no reason why they or their enemies should have lesser rights than we enjoy.

there are political power brokers in Israel who know that the best way to reinforce their power is to perpetuate a state of conflict.

True, though equally or even more so valid for the Palestinian leadership. Though government changes so much in Israel, there's not a lot of reinforcing going on.

It's a rich vein that they've been mining ever since I can remember watching the news as a 5 year old in 1977 (and no doubt for 3 decades before that).

See above. There have been many many governments. The governments of Yitzak Rabin and Ehud Barak, for example, didn't try and perpetuate conflict IMO.

I have no issue with Jews, or with Israeli's, i have an issue with the policies and the behavior of their government and their military.

I didn't claim you did.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
They're clearly doing this to inflict terror and collective punishment on the civilian population of Gaza. This is illegal under the rules of war. They are knowingly commiting war crimes and will almost certainly get away with it.
There are two reasons why they are doing it:

1) They are trying to make the people suffer for Hamas' actions. They figure if the people suffer for zero gain this will make the people turn on the government for bringing about their destruction. The second part is that Iran had encouraged Hamas to act and that they had their backs. I'm unaware as to why, but I do know that Iran double crossed them and Hamas is now regretting the situation they are in.

2) The 2006 Israel Lebanon war saw ISrael smash fuck out of southern Leb, did not destroy the Hizbollah infrastructure or command and left a huge amount of destruction that allowed both Iran and Hizbollah to come in and rebuild everything gaining even more support from the people. It was a huge strategic victory for Hizbollah and Iran. Israel does not want to see that repeated.

So now they are wrecking a large amount of shit, destroying or deterring other orgs from helping the Gazans and after the combat is over Israel will come in and rebuild the area. This is to both deny other states and orgs (remember, Israel doesn't like the UN) the chance to gain support from the Gazans and will also build up Israel's prestige and repair the damage the campaign has caused their image internationally.


Horses mouth.
 
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FR Drew

Not a custom title.
I'll believe that Israel will fix the damage they wreak, the day I see it reported that they've done it (as opposed to talked about it)

To my mind, this would the single best thing they could do as far as winning the support of the Gazan population.
 

RacelineBoy

Likes Dirt
FR Drew reply 1,
Forward notice sorry about the spelling, I quickly typed this.

Australia was not artificially "created" following the end of the first world war in a move that displaced the people currently living there.

Yes Australia was artificially created just early and you could argue that Israel has more right to exist as it had full UN backing, while Australia didn’t. The English just came here and said bye bye natives we are now going to send all our prisons here and we don’t like the fact that you’re black so we will take you children and educate them to be more “white”. Secondly Israel was created after World War 2 in 1948. Your last statement (“in a move that displaced the people currently living there”) is very strange because last timed I checked Israel population I found that:
That 20% of the population are Israeli Arabs which mainly are Muslims. That’s not including Druze, Samaritans, and Bedouin. Its amazing how Arabs have more rights in Israel than they do in there own countries. If Jews are discriminating against Arab why then are there Arab Muslim Cabinet member such as Nawaf Massalha (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, since 1999. Arab citizens of Israel have been elected to every Knesset, and currently hold 12 of its 120 seats. Supreme Court: Abdel Rahman Zuabi, a secular Muslim from northern Israel. Arab Generals in the IDF include Major General Hussain Fares, commander of Israel's border police, and Major General Yosef Mishlav, head of the Israeli Home Front Command and current Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. Jewish National Fund even has a not Jewish director, Ra'adi Sfori. The people that left Israel left because they don’t want to live with there Jewish neighbors. Then you will say arab never killed jewish before Israel was created, think again 1929 Hebron massacre (just one example). What about more than 1 million jewish that were kicked out of there countries in the middle east in 1948 ??? (I bet you never think of that).

It has not since continued to occupy more and more captured territory since then.

I guess your not from South Australia, the Australian government keeps giving permits to mining companies to open mines in aboriginal lands. That defiantly not captured land is it?? Haha. Again I will say Why can Israeli Arabs live in Jewish land while Jewish people cant live in west bank? Don’t tell me Arab were there first because Judaism is a 5000+ year old religion which started in Israel. While Arab religions are 2000 year old (Christianity) and 500+ years old Islam (at it current form).

we do not carpet bomb other countries with cluster bombs deliberately attempting to make as much territory uninhabitable as we can in the days prior to a ceasefire.

Maybe that because Aboriginals are nice people and don’t fire rockets into our city and on prime time TV pray for Jewish death (are there rockets flying into army bases or into city were people have to run for there lives in 15 second). (answer is city’s). I believe your talking about the Lebanon war in 2006 ~ the main reason for using cluster bombs is that they make a huge area un-usable for the enemy. If the enemy ie hezballah would actually fight not hid in tunnels, maybe Israel wouldn’t have to use cluster bombs.
I remember during war in 2006 my friend who is a Lebanese Christian was in Beirut he told me that Israeli army didn’t bomb one building in the Christian area, only the Muslim side. He supported Israel 100%.


we do not starve our neighbors of power


Guess again buddy, I don’t believe you have researched the role Australia play’s in the Asia pacific region. Israel doesn’t starve there neighbors of power. Simply Israeli’s are more educated hence being able to have a good economy (watch the video about the boycotting Israel). Now your going to think Israel gets heaps of Aid money from nations and Jewish people around the world. Yes it does, 5% of it GDP. How ever the West bank and Gaza Aid money is 95% of there GDP. Have a look at there education system they don’t teach children why Israel was created, they don’t teach about the holocaust (they never say 6 million Jews were killed). Prime time TV showing 3 year old Muslim girl saying Jews are pigs and apes, praying for suicide bombings in Israel. These people hate the West, this also includes Australia fellas. If the war stops how will Gaza and West Bank gets its money, ie Hamas!

we do not destroy their infrastructure

Haha. Think again. I guess when the white man came to Australia he never killed an aboriginal, I guess Tasmania aboriginal never existed?? I guess those rockets coming into Israel from Gaza and Lebanon just land safely??

when we give land back to the original inhabitants we do not systematically destroy every single peace of usable asset that we have placed there so as to ensure that nothing we have built can be used by them

Firstly Jews were the original inhabitants of the lands but were kick out many times but always had a presents and always came back. Have you seen photos of Israel in the 1930s and photos of Israel now!! Israel was a desert now it has lots usable agricultural land, due to hard work! In 2005 israel gave governce to the PLO (I have read a great book called Israel lobby, did you know Israel ask Egypt to take gaza under there governce and Egypt said no!), I guess Israel destroyed every thing they had built in Gaza. The state of the art hospitals, legal building in Gaza city, no. Only Jewish areas built in Beit Lahla (mainly) were destroyed.

we do not build walls in their land keeping them from their families

I guess Australian never took aboriginal from there familys?? Read some Australian History mate, I am 1 generation Australian from a Russian family I and I know that. Secondly the walls are a great idea! The English and many old societies used them to keep the enemy out, which has worked. Since the wall has been up there has been no suicide bombing in Israel. Can I ask you a question when you go on a bus or walk in mall are you scared that at any moment with out warning you could die? Remember during this war in Gaza the Israeli army send txt msg to people and drops papers in Arabic warning people to leave.

we do not deliberately target and blow up people attempting to give them aid or medical assistance

Well it has been proven that Hamas uses ambulances and medical trucks to carry rockets and fighters. And again do those rockets land safely in Israel and do Israelis pray for death of Arabs. NO! Because Arabs live in Israel with full rights. Remember the enemy of Israel is Hamas who sole goal is the full destruction of the state of Israel and its people, the Palestinians people are not the enemy.

we do not blow up their hospitals and schools

Again do the rockets just land safely. 8 years of rocket fire. If PNG (which use to be part of Australia) fired 1 rocket at Australia, Australia would respond start away with full force. Secondly it has been proven that Hamas use the Palestinian as human shields firing rockets from near or in hospitals and schools. The only thing I can say the Palestinian are good at is propaganda (they are much better than the Israelis at that).

Most places in the civilized world would agree that the manner in which people deal with their neighbors has moved forwards in the time since WWI.

That’s great because Israel has tried to talk to all arab neighbors and even has embassy’s in all of it neighbors, expect for Syria because they think Israel doesn’t exist, must we smoking a lot of dope since Israel’s economy is 3 times as big as there’s. And during war it has not changed civilians are always killed. A question in World War 2 did the allies just fly over cities and carpet bomb them. Answer: yes.

If I act like a bully and a thug and I damage the houses around me, I expect to be treated like a bully and a thug, especially if my response is always a level of magnitude greater than the incident I am responding to.

I guess when Hamas started firing rockets Israel should have been not said anything or done anything because well frankly jews have been killed from the beginning of time. Why should it stop now. Only 6 million died in world war 2. NO never again, Jews must be strong to protect themselves, they have been strong in 1948, 6 day war and may more. They will be strong and educated forever!

Why is Israel teflon coated so the same standards of acceptable behavior do not apply to them?

Umm they have exactly the same standards of acceptable than every other country. Again what country would wait 8 year after over 10 000+ rockets on just 1 city to attack. I have studied international law and Hamas has clearly broken them as it uses humans are shield it is inflicting suffering to it own people. I bet you didn’t know this more Palestinians are killed between each other than Israelis kill the Palestinians.

I'm quite sure that if Israel pulled back to its 1947 borders and stopped playing bully with the UN support of a US veto every time they were criticized, most people in the area would be willing to allow them to have the land they were lucky to be given (which should be treated as a privilege, not a right).

HAHHAHAHAHA!! Man have you read Hamas mission statement – the full destruction of the state of Israel, this is supported by the majority of arab countries. And it is no luck Jewish people worked hard to make Israel what it is today. No country in the world has done what Israel has done in only 60 years.


“This is not propaganda, this is fact, something that was widely reported even in the right wing side of the US media.”


It funny that people always think the media is protecting Israel because the truth is it not! During the Lebanon war Hezbollah clearly won the propaganda war. Just one of thousands of examples is the Adnan Hajj photographs controversy. Reuters withdrew over 900 photographs by Adnan Hajj, a Lebanese freelance photographer, after he admitted to digitally adding and darkening smoke spirals in photographs of an attack on Beirut. Another example is Photographs submitted to Reuters and Associated Press showed one Lebanese woman mourning on two different pictures taken by two photographers, allegedly taken two weeks apart.

WATCH THE VIDEOS!! Please especially children of Hamas and the Boycotting Israel one (as a user on this forum thought it was a good idea).

I would like to type more but time restricts. And I end with God bless the democratically elected leaders of Australia and Israel.
 
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Arete

Likes Dirt
Racelineboy - As a person who's no expert on the Israeli/Palestinaian conflict, but a relatively aware and educated layperson, I was enjoying this discussion until you landed your pile of fundamentalist gobshite on it.

1) I am relatively versed in the Australian/Aboriginal environment, and comparing it to the Middle east is absurd. Firstly, complete oversimplificaion of land issues. As per Mabo, If Aboriginals can show evidence of sustained occupation of land, it's given to them. Mining companies are compelled to negotiate and comply with indigenous landholders and if they don't they have their mining permits altered and/or revoked - see McArthur River mine for a current example.
Aboriginal people are now citizens of Australia, vote in elections, and have access to all our infrastructure. Palestinians do not. Indigenous culture is now represented and respected in all facets of Austrlian cultural and political life.
Yes Australia has a lot to answer for in regards to early treatment of indignenous people. There is a long way to go in the process. However, the issue of reconciliation in Australia is radically different to land issues in the middle east. Comapring them in any sense other than a vaugely ideological sense of dispossesion (in which case, interpreting the Israeli's as indigenous landowners is illogical) is completely manipulative and dishonest.

2)The videos you've posted and implore everyone to watch are, in the most part blatant propaganda, and even I, as a layperson with limited expertise can pick up the inconsistencies and dishonesties in the couple I watched before i gave up. If you want to post "evidence", posting rubbish clearly designed to manipulate by any means necessary is not the way to do it.

Honestly, both sides have done some exceptionally fucked up things, especially in recent times. However, to me as a relative layperson it seems that Israel's current reaction to rocket attacks that in part stem from placing increased resource pressure on the population of Gaza is particularly despicable.
 

slip

Beefcake...BEEFCAKE!!!
Just on the silliness of Aus vs Gaza - We've also turned things around pretty bloody quickly, roughly 200 years on and things are very different to the initial invasion. It's not all beer and skittles, granted.

They also make a nice bit of coin out of those mining companies you know...

Comparing us to a bunch of nutters throwing rockets at each other on a regular basis is a bit off the mark. Hell, our Pollies have even said "Sorry" on TV - bit different on that front, and somewhat indicative of what Arete is talking about

*Not defending the actions of Whites in Australian history at all, just agreeing with a good point.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
WATCH THE VIDEOS!!
I don't intend to venture in to the moral arguments of the continuing disaster that is Israel PAlestine, but there are a plethora of videos that can be posted of Israeli settlers bashing women, shooting farmers, houses being destroyed that are not connected to any acts of terror. I can show videos of dead women and children being carried out of schools where no evidence can be seen militant aggression in the area, I can talk of Hamas commanders being bombed whilst they sleep at home where the whole apartment block has been destroyed killing 14 children, etc. etc.

This is not to say that anything that Hamas does is justified and that the Israelis are bad people. IT is simply to say that there are no angels in this whole picture.

Chicken and the egg.
 

RacelineBoy

Likes Dirt
I totally agree with you Arete and Johnny. I know there are some in Israel (ultra-orthadox) who still believe that Iraq/Iran belongs to them as Abraham was born in the region.

How every the main point i am trying to get across is that Israel is getting painted as the bad guy to often, while they really are not that bad. And this debate could go on for years and year, therefore i am going to stop.

And Johnny the reason why i posted those videos is because i dont believe the israeli side of the story is show in our media enough, especially on the internet where pro-Palestinan group have a Monopoly.

I know that Israel isnt a saint i said that somewere in my rant. But I am a proud Australian and as an Australian I believe we should all support free democratic countries like Israel that just want peace, unlike Hamas who is a terrorist organisation which uses women and children as humans shields.

Now back to work in 38 degree heat :(
 

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
Israel had a relatively pacifist leader voted in a few years back. He was assasinated for his trouble wasn't he? and the population voted in hard liners pushing a more agressive stance.

The Palestinians also seem to have found that the softly softly approach wasn't getting them anywhere and voted people with a more hard line stance into power.

As I said before, if the Israeli militari do it from inside a tank or a fighter plane or a helicopter gunship or a naval vessel off the coast, that's deemed to be legitimate military action or appropriate retaliation. When Hamas do it with a rocket, that's terrorism.

Who's being painted as the baddy again?
 

TheBug

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Before we get to far into this, can anyone confirm (Johnny maybe) that the Israelies get billions of $US every year to spend on military hardware.
Yes, they are the largest recipients of us military "AID" anywhere in the world.

And another thing. Believe it or not, Israel founded Hamas to counter the influence of the PLO (Arafat) and communism and then funded them for 20 years up to the late 90's.

Palestinian lands have shrunk over the years and it's population is dwindling, it sounds alot like genocide from where I stand.
 

Arete

Likes Dirt
I totally agree with you Arete and Johnny.
Umm, I pretty much used the majority of my post to accuse you of distorting the truth for the purpose of manipulation.

I believe we should all support free democratic countries like Israel that just want peace, unlike Hamas who is a terrorist organisation which uses women and children as humans shields.
Well done on completely delegitimsing anything sensible you may have said earlier in that post.
 

gravelclimber

Likes Dirt
And another thing. Believe it or not, Israel founded Hamas to counter the influence of the PLO (Arafat) and communism and then funded them for 20 years up to the late 90's.

Palestinian lands have shrunk over the years and it's population is dwindling, it sounds alot like genocide from where I stand.
I'm guessing you just made this stuff up to be annoying.

Every single factoid in those sentences is wrong.
 

RacelineBoy

Likes Dirt
FR Drew said:
Israel had a relatively pacifist leader
...
As I said before, if the Israeli militari do it from inside a tank or a fighter plane or a helicopter gunship or a naval vessel off the coast, that's deemed to be legitimate military action or appropriate retaliation. When Hamas do it with a rocket, that's terrorism.

Who's being painted as the baddy again?
So Israel has no right to defend itself? It must give in to terrorism? It must sit quietly and allow its neighbors to plan its destruction?

TheBug said:
Yes, they are the largest recipients of us military "AID" anywhere in the world.
As gravelclimber said did you just make this up or did you listen to some Hamas propaganda?? - All figures are in billions.

Iraq - 18.44
Israel 2.62
Egypt 1.87
Afghanistan 1.77
Colombia 0.57
Jordan 0.56
Pakistan 0.39
Liberia 0.21
Peru 0.17
Ethiopia 0.16
Bolivia 0.15
Uganda 0.14
Sudan 0.14
Indonesia 0.13
Kenya 0.13

Source: http://www.usaid.gov/

Personally I think we should debate why the West including Australia isn't help poor countries in Sub-Saharan Africa such as Sudan where a second holocaust is occurring in refugee camps, instead of arguing about Israel.
 
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FR Drew

Not a custom title.
Probably because one side isn't heavily supported by the USA and going in with fighter plane and helicopter gunship support above, tanks on the ground and naval bombarment off the coast while the other side has small automatic fire and some half arsed short range rockets with which to offer resistance...
 

gravelclimber

Likes Dirt
Probably because one side isn't heavily supported by the USA and going in with fighter plane and helicopter gunship support above, tanks on the ground and naval bombarment off the coast while the other side has small automatic fire and some half arsed short range rockets with which to offer resistance...
As I said before, if the Israeli militari do it from inside a tank or a fighter plane or a helicopter gunship or a naval vessel off the coast, that's deemed to be legitimate military action or appropriate retaliation. When Hamas do it with a rocket, that's terrorism.
Making the same point over and over is...well....pointless.
 

RacelineBoy

Likes Dirt
400,000 Dead in Darfur since 2003- www.UNrefugees.org

I think you should read http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats - Poverty Facts and Stats

I don’t see the problem with Israel getting support from the United States? I support give money to Israel through the JNF, same as I give money to World vision with the child I am sponsoring.
Hamas (Palestinian cause) has support from Iran and the majority of the Arab/developing world, arguable Palestinian have support from Russia.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Check out the big brain on Abu!

Why I hate Hamas:


Hamas vows to replenish Gaza arsenal depleted in 3-week war

By Reuters
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1056783.html

Hamas vowed on Monday to rearm in defiance of any Israeli and international efforts to prevent the Islamist militant group from replenishing its arsenal of rockets and other weapons after the Gaza war.

"Do whatever you want. Manufacturing the holy weapons is our mission and we know how to acquire weapons," Abu Ubeida, a spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, told a news conference.


Addressing journalists with his face masked by a checkered Arab scarf, he said "all options would be open" if Israel failed to pull its troops out of the Gaza Strip within a week, a demand raised by Hamas when it announced on Sunday a cease-fire after three weeks of fighting.

Israel, which declared its own ceasefire hours before, has threatened to renew military action if Hamas tries to smuggle more weapons into the Gaza Strip.

Israel wants Egypt to prevent arms from reaching Palestinian militants through tunnels running under the border with the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, Israel signed a security accord with the United States that calls for increased information-sharing, technical assistance and the use of various U.S. "assets" to prevent weapons from getting to Hamas from air, land or sea.

Meanwhile, six key European leaders on Sunday pledged to work to prevent Hamas from rearming. The commitments were offered both at the Sharm al-Sheikh summit in Egypt and at a meeting in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

They offered to provide troops and technological assistance to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons and terrorists into the Gaza Strip, in cooperation with Egypt and the United States.
 
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