To wonder why there are no sanctions being placed on Israel?

[NeonDoll]

Sorry if I sound a bit thick, but I genuinely don't understand this? They are placing sanctions on Russia following the Mh17 attack, and that's a good thing, but Israel are repeatedly attacking and persecuting another group of people, killing children and no one is doing anything about it? I don't understand why? Some of the photos of the poor child victims of this conflict keep appearing on my Twitter and Facebook feeds and they are just too horrific for words, the hospitals have now run out of mortuary space and they are storing bodies in ice cream freezers in shops. It's so, so terrible.

Why are the world letting them get away with this? It's making me so bloody angry.

There are many many Jewish people who are against what Israel is currently doing along the Gaza strip

There are many Isreali people against what's going on. I had a friend from Isreal and he said that the people there greet each other and say goodbye like it's the last time they will, because it might be. But they are all over there praying for peace too, not crying for Palestinian blood.

No one involved is enjoying this. Not the Isreali people, not the Palestinian people.

(waves back)

from Saturday's Times: a quote from a parent IN GAZA. 'Please stop this, you are turning our children into terrorists'.

this is not a matter of 'one side have more casualties, therefore it is all the fault of the other side'. It is of course (as always) the innocent who suffer the most. On both sides.

may there be peace.

It should be made clear that it is Zionists or Israel supporters with power that are the problem. Lots of Jewish people do not agree with what's happening, and rightly so because it is fucking horrifying! Have you seen the latest from the Deputy Speaker in the Knesset. He clearly calls for concentration camps and ethnic cleansing. Is there anything that will make the rest of the world take action??? electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/concentrate-and-exterminate-israel-parliament-deputy-speakers-gaza-genocide-plan

Thank you lovelyboots - its always about the media interest in particular stories.

you can of course have a consumer boycott against Israel of your own. Find out which companies trade in Israeli goods, or supplied from the West Bank or Israel itself and don't use/buy them.
Just google Israeli Boycott and you'll find numerous companies who use funds to support the state of Israel, and have 'special connections' with the murdering genocidal bastards.

contrary to some notes above, the continued destruction and theft of Palestine has massive support in the Israeli public, from recent polls.

OK,please, please can everyone not be offended by my ignorance but can someone sum up the Israel/Palestine situation in an idiots' guide? I have read lots on the inter net but genuinely don't understand what's going on!
I understood that Hamas attacked Israel and Israel is responding in kind..... Can someone sum up in a neutral way?
I am appalled at the killings biut genuinely don't understand the politics.

Squeaky Absolutely.

dementedma, in a nutshell, when the state of Israel was created, a lot of people living there were displaced, either to refugee camps in neighbouring countries or internally to the areas now known as Gaza and the West Bank which together are Palestine. Over the years Israel has taken more land, with settlements encroaching into areas previously lived in by Palestinians.
As a result, there have been Palestinian uprisings against the occupation and repression (Intifadas) and since 2005, Israel has blockaded Gaza, controlling their airspace, coastal waters and borders, in response to them voting in Hamas after years of frustration feeling that the more moderate Fatah had got them nowhere.
Fatah continues to run the West Bank.
As to what started the most recent conflict, three Israeli Settler teenagers were kidnapped and murdered in the West Bank, probably in response to the murder of 2 Palestinian boys by the Israel Defence Force weeks before.
The Israeli Government claimed it was Hamas, although this subsequently proved not the be the case. As a result, they arrested members of Hamas and launched rocket attacks on others, killing them and their families.
Hamas then retaliated with rocket fire towards Israel.
Israel then proceeded to bombard Gaza as you will have seen over the last month, with approximately 1800 being killed at last count.
This is a good source of information about life in Palestine if you want to take a look.

Hamas don't care about the Palestinians. They are a terrorist organisation that has its own agenda. They keep bombs and missiles in schools and residential areas. They spend money on arms and not infrastructure.

They are in power because conservative Israeli leadership followed policies that created an environment in which the Hamas could flourish. Morally Israel is in the wrong. But Israel is not bad in and of itself. Hamas are. The Palestinians are screwed they have no one to look out for them. Hamas will use their blood to get what they want. While Hamas are constantly firing missiles at Israel it's citizens have shelters, sirens, access to medical care, and a modern army for protection. Their casualties are far lower.

Israel is a western, democratic country though. They have whistle blowers in the army and they have politicians who have to be accountable ultimately. Palestinians in Gaza do not have any of this. They are trapped in a war zone with no way out.

There is no clear good guy or bad guy here, which is really tough. At this point Israel can't just stop. They need to make sure those tunnels are closed. But the world scrutiny they are under should stop them from going too far. We hope. In the meantime the protests, debate etc will I hope lead the Israeli leadership to a longer term solution that doesn't involve the constant slaughter of civilians.

We hope.

Would you not say they have gone too far already????? Blimey.

Tunnels? You mean it won't be a constant 'we've found another tunnel' and so an excuse to murder a few hundred more innocents? The Israeli state just cannot be believed about tunnels, or anything else.

Tunnels, my arse. Do they build them on the first floor or mosques and hospitals? In ambulances? Funny sorts of tunnels, those.

To far, what do you mean?

Tunnels could be blocked up with cement, or flooded out with water (the Egyptians do this on their side of the border). You don't need to kill 1,800 people, displace 450,000 and cut off the water, electricity and food supplies of a million people to do that.

This has naff all to do with tunnels. Or Hamas rockets (death toll: 2. Yes, really). This is basic ethnic cleansing. Hamas are preventing Israel getting to the natural gas that's offshore and they want Gaza wiped off the map.

Does anyone know if there's an online petition demanding the recall of parliament? If not, can we start one?

Great idea shocking- parliament should be recalled. Where's David Cameron? Portugal? Get him back (before we have to see him in his Boden beach casual wear)

at the beachwear. Ugh, truly some images once seen can never be unseen...

Demanding the recall of parliament is an idea, but not mine... I can't go back in the thread to find out whose it was.

Erm, hello? "Blatent materialism" of ALL European jews? Are you serious?

I really think you should re-read your post Celtic, it comes across a bit racist.

But the world scrutiny they are under should stop them from going too far. We hope.

Like it prevented them using white phosphorus shell (in direct contravention if international law) the last time? Oh, wait, it didn't - they just said they wouldn't break that particular law again!

They are shelling UN refuges, they murdered children who's only crime was to play on a beach...how far is too far?

Here we go again...

Agree with your assessment, Crescent Moon.
they have to coexist somehow, and come to a just peace agreement,

I think UK should have sanctions against the many states (inc Israel) who don't respect human rights. In many cases, I don't think they actually affect the situation on the ground but they send a powerful message.

The killing in Gaza is intolerable, and we clearly cannot just stand by and do nothing.

So, here is what I am doing:

1. Emailed my MP and asked her to put pressure on the prime minister and foreign secretary to increase international pressure on the leadership of the Israeli government. I asked why the UK had not yet ordered the Israeli ambassador to leave London, why there were no asset freezes on property and money held in the UK owned by the leaders of the Israeli government, why there were no trade sanctions being imposed. The leaders of the Israeli government have committed crimes against humanity and we as a nation need to treat them accordingly.

1. Emailed my MEP asking him to do the same.

1. Emailed the supermarkets where I shop ( waitrose, morrrisons) to ask them their position on purchasing goods from Israel and requesting they stop any orders from Israel until the Israeli army stop bombing civilians in Gaza.

Ok, on its own that isn't going to change anything. But if 60 million of us do the same, and if another 200 million or so other people in the EU do the same too, our voices will be heard.

If I ever meet any of these poor people who are currently being bombed in their homes in Gaza I at least want to be able to look them in the eye and know that I didn't just do nothing.