Responding to yesterday's homicide bombing in Hadera, and continued rocket attacks into Israel from the recently abandoned Gaza Strip, IDF forces are amassing along Gaza's border. It is considered doubtful that Sharon will actually call for the IDF to enter Gaza, but this demonstration of resolve is exactly that-- a demonstration to terrorists that if they continue down their present path, Israel will be forced to re-enter Gaza.
Israel should never have left. Israelis know better than anyone else that Palestinians [Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al Aqsa's Martyrs Brigade] only care about killing Israelis. These Islamists view any act of capitulation as a sign of weakness. And no one respects weakness.
Israel is going to have to fight to keep what's hers. And sooner or later Palestinians will have to accept Israels right to exist. It's either that or continue to lose sons and daughters to a pointless... truly pointless war.
See EL the problem is, neither country can claim the high ground in this struggle.
That innocents die in any conflict is regretable, whoever they are, whatever you think of my preferences. I prefer than none die, but that's hardly possible at this point. You'd rather point to all the civilian deaths caused by 1 party, rather than accept the truth that if Palestinians would leave Israel alone, no Palestinian innocents need ever die again, except in the natural course of living their lives.
But you're not interested in obvious truths. You prefer those of the convoluted variety, the disingenuous ones.
Israel has the high ground by virtue of the fact that Israel is not interested in wiping Palestinians of the face of the earth. The same cannot be said on the other side of Israel's "Illegal" security fence.
You have a big neon sign in your head that reads "ISREAL BLAMELESS!!!!" On this subject your irrational. Neither side is blameless.
First of all, there were no "accords" or border deals in 1969. The Six Day War occurred in 1967, between Israel, Egypt, Jordan & Syria. Egypt tried again to invade in 1973 during what is now called the Yom Kippur War (or The Ramadan War) which lasted only 19 days during the month of October.
Let me repeat that... There were no "1969 accords".
As to my preference of Israel, it is irrational to side with the those who's only intent is genocide. Israel would attack no one if her neighbors would simply leave her alone. It is the Palestinians who are the aggressors... It's not my fault if you can't see that.
But let me ask you: Which side of the fence would you be on if America were surrounded by implacable enemies whose sole stated purpose was to destroy our nation and kill every single American?
You have a nasty habit of siding with killers. You delight in taking the position of Devil's Advocate. And I can respect that-- it's an important element for honest and challenging debate, but I fear you've lost yourself in the role.
"The Zionist movement seeking to establish a Jewish state accepted the partition, the Palestinians rejected it. After Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, war broke out pitting the nascent state against Palestinians and the surrounding Arab states that invaded. Israel gained more land than it would have had under the partition resolution. Neither Israel nor Jordan, which controlled the divided parts of Jerusalem after the war, accepted control of the holy city by an international body."
courtesy: http://www.desert-voice.net/un_resolutions.htm
This is the way I understand the history of the region. I haven't lost my identity in this issue, but I fear you have lost your perspective. Because of your irrational fear of Jihadist Islam, and your Old-Testament Christianity, you can't look at the situation objectively. You can't see Isreal as anything more than an embattled martyr. You can't see Palestinians as anything other than foaming suicidal madmen.
Amazingly you would want to see Palestine field a conventional army against the US-supported nuclear-capable Isreali army. You see no discrepancy or shame in the death rate of palestinian refugees, after their homes and communities are bulldozed by Isreal.
I'm only trying to bring you some perspective. It's for your own good.
2. [My] "irrational fear of Jihadist Islam"
Jihadist Islam no less! Not the peaceful Muslims, but rather the ones who want to bring the entire world under subjection to Islam and Allah.
3. "Old-Testament Christianity"
Christianity is a product entirely of the New Testament, though it is fore-shadowed in the Old.
4. "...foaming suicidal madmen."
No, not all. Only the one's who strap bombs to their bodies and kill not only themselves, but murder innocent civilians as well. Not all Palestinians are Madmen, or deluded, but Palestine isn't run by rational men, it's policy isn't determined my PA President Mahmoud Abbas. It is run by the madmen with Rockets and a seemingly endless roll of ignorants willing to blow themselves up.
4. Your perspective is welcome.
5. But might I point to your own perspective which doesn't seem to include this simple grasp of the situation...
Israel would attack/retaliate against no one if her enemies would simply stop attacking her. You yourself have stated: "the UN partition[ed] the country..." The U.N. should therefore be defending Israel, and demanding all attacks against her stop.
EL if a majority of Americans convert to Islam, elect representatives, and then work tirelessly that is pretty much the only way that America could be taken over by Islamic Extremists. However the reverse isn't true for Christian Extremists. A majority of those in power are already proponents of that faith. It would take very little work to turn what is now America into the Holy Christian Empire. That is my big fear. Ii think the chance of my fear being bourne out are a lot more probable that yours.
I called you an old-testament chrsitian because you don't really talk much about the ideals of the new-testament. You're more into the fire-and-brimstone, kill-the-unbelievers, stone-the-sinners approach to current day problems thanthe ideal of faith hope, love, and charity expressed in the new-testament.
Isreal always has an incident as an excuse for their military actions. However, if you compare the episodes in scale, you quickly realize that a full scale military re-seize of treaty lands is not a retaliation of scale against a suicide bomber. Nor is that the path to a lasting peace.
Maybe the UN should help Isreal run their planes and tanks against palestinians stones and sticks.
I will be praying for you, though I have a fairly good idea what you'll say to that. I hope one day you'll forgive me. I could have been a better witness. I should have been a better witness. And I don't doubt I'll regret that in the end.
I leave all further discussion to greater minds than my own. But then, very few people read this blog anyway. And that's my last word on this post.