to be horrified about what's happening in Jerusalem right now...

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and to think that nothing, NOTHING, is going to change until the Israeli authorities agree to sit down at peace talks where the Palestinians are treated as equals??
In my Belfast school as teenagers we were taught about the Arab-Israeli conflict in GSCE history and politics to help us understand our own conflict - i.e. there's 2 sides to every argument and it doesn't matter how many bombs you throw at people, violent conflict will never result in peace.

I would love to travel to Jerusalem and have a friend with family there who's always trying to get me to go but I just can't bring myself to go on holiday somewhere knowing what's happening in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. I t would be like going on holiday to S. Africa during apartheid.

What's also interesting is that mainstream media do not even seem to be covering it and raising awareness of what is happening. The reporting on social media from those on the ground isn't being shared and is in total contrast with what the news channels are actually choosing to air. The narrative on this whole agenda is bizarre - focusing on the reaction from Hamas rather than the reason the violence has escalated in the first place - contravention of human rights and international law against the Palestinian people. This is a humanitarian issue above all else but few people and media outlets are choosing to give this appalling situation the justified news reporting it deserves. Makes you wonder what else MSM choose not to tell us...

The problem for me is that any criticism or commentary of Israeli actions (aggressive settlement and displacement of existing populations in contravention of accords etc) ..

... is met by some as an attack on Israel's entire right to exist.

It's a deliberately emotional "scorched Earth" tactic of debate.

All actions taken by Israel no matter how aggressive or leading to massive suffering, are justified in the "preservation" of the state.

Unfortunately as we know from the last 60
years of history, "preservation" often means pre emptive land grabs, strikes and anything else justified to create the biggest buffer.

I love Jews and I support Israel's right to exist.

But Israel's right to exist should not be a blanket disclaimer for every and any action.

What's also interesting is that mainstream media do not even seem to be covering it and raising awareness of what is happening.

It's been headline news on the BBC for the last 12 hours at least and still is this morning...

It's just awful. Of course Israel has a right to exist, but not to stage land grabs and then take military action against those who object to being uprooted.

It's like apartheid all over again.

It’s absolutely shocking and how it’s allowed to happen in this day and age. Terrible

its pretty hideous and of course noone can discuss it as youre then either antisemetic or islamophobic. Its a lose/lose situation and one of those issues which really makes you realise how shit and corrupt the whole world is

You can't say the MSM aren't covering it - it's certainly being covered on BBC, in fact it's the lead story on BBC News website - there was an interview just after 7pm this morning on Radio 4 with a journalist working in Gaza and journalist writing for the Jerusalem Post. Front page on Times and Telegraph and Guardian websites.

It's a tragic, neverending state of affairs.

It's headline news on both the Guardian and the BBC websites. Tragic conflict.

I'm referring to when this started last week in Sheikh Jarrah. They have only chosen to cover it since Hamas began to retaliate. And when you listen to the narrative it is just so one sided. You only have to watch Emily Maitlis Newsnight piece with the Palestinian Ambassador. She wasn't even listening to what he had to say no words for the Palestinian children murdered. Listen to what he is saying, do your own research and then tell me if the narrative on BBC is neutral. Also watch the piece on BBC breakfast yesterday by the ME correspondent Yolande Knell.

the narrative on the BBC is not neutral at all.

I have swung between having more sympathy for either side at various points - I mean, if Israel is going to exist as the only Jewish country surrounded by muslim/islamic countries, then its going to have to defend itself, and its not as if other countries didnt create themselves violently, but usually its so long ago that we werent there to witness all that, so its pretty hard to watch, but youd have thought that we were a bit more civilised now. Im not convinced Israel armed forces are more barbaric than a lot of places that dont get the coverage, so i do think its tricky to sort out what biases are in what news sources, but thats the same for most stories.

Hate the thought that countries based on religion even exist, but theres plenty out there, just not jewish ones

Fire rockets at one of the most advanced military's in the world, expect to get bombed back, no sympathy for either side here!

Like a pp I swing back and forth. Generally I see, amongst my friends/colleagues, more sympathy for Palestine but then I read that Hamas have said they won't rest until there isn't a jew left. Is that true?
I don't know what to believe

And this is all about God?

I do think it's the leadership on both sides that's to blame here. It's in both their political interests for hostilities to flare up, and sadly ordinary people are caught in the middle.

Incidentally, I read today about the history of the land at Sheikh Jarrah, and it would appear that it does originally belong to a group of Jews who bought it in the 19th century, when Israel and Palestine didn't exist. Over the years it then ended up being leased to Arab families. So there are (as always) two sides to the story and it's not as straightforward as it may seem.

Fire rockets at one of the most advanced military's in the world, expect to get bombed back, no sympathy for either side here!

Such an uninformed and ignorant statement. Shame on you. The Palestinian people are throwing rocks, no bigger than the wrists and Israelis position in defending themselves is to kill innocent children. Imagine living under blockade, not even worthy as second class citizens.

And this is all about God?

Again. Do your research. Absolutely not about God. It is a geo political movement to wipe out any reference to Palestinian people. To claim the land for themselves. Its not a religious issue, stop confusing the narrative.

All I am saying is that there is more to this story when you do dig a little deeper. I wonder what the world's reaction would be if the sides were switched....if a Palestinian army stormed a synogogue during one of the most religious events in the Jewish calendar, charged with ammunition and tear gas whilst people were praying, if israeli children were killed, if people were being made homeless in breach of human rights and intl law. I'm not here to get you to sympathise with the cause, just to look further than what the MSM portrays, and this goes for all matters - domestic and international affairs alike.

So so many conflicts with religion at the heart of them. 🙄😰

they were given the land though, by governments who didnt own it to give. It already had people living there. Of course its political. I can understand why the jews want a homeland after the holocaust and somewhere they never have to feel persecuted again, and Israel was only one of the options for that, and the fact that there were historical links to the land from thousands of years ago, but its also pretty convenient that they chose the place that gave the west a little bit of the middle east, for tactical reasons

@PicnicPie all those things have and are happening, to both sides. There is no right or wrong side in this conflict, and yes hamas ( does not equal all Palestinian s ) do want to destroy Israel and do want to destroy Jews.

As an outsider with admittedly fleeting regional knowledge of this conflict but why is religion so divisive and seemingly forever the problem not the solution doing more harm than good? Can diversity not coexist? More questions than answers but will Israel/Palestine be forever a war zone of deaths and destruction with no peace and equality of humanity? Total sum assured loss with losers all round?

I've not been on mumsnet for a few days but did see that there was another thread the one about why you cannot talk about Palestine. Interested to know why its been removed....

@PicnicPie,thank you for your advice that I do some research.I am no expert on geopolitics but enlighten me as to why it's not a Jewish/Muslim problem.

Whatever it is,its terrible (again)

history repeats itself again. nobody ever learns from history lessons

And this is all about God?

No, it's about the illegal procurement of land, the right to exist and the law of return