Part 7: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

[AndHarry]

Thread 1 - started when 3 Israeli boys were found murdered

Thread 2 - Operation Protective Edge

Thread 3 - Operation Protective Edge, the wider conflict and international involvement

Thread 4 - Operation Protective Edge and the different views in Israel and the wider international community

Thread 5 - in which Operation Protective Edge came to an end and the discussion continued

Thread 6 - themes of the conflict, what happens next and how ordinary people can get involved

Welcome to Thread 7.

Some insight into the BDS movement:

www.wsj.com/articles/europe-goes-zionistfrei-1418070622

Do the villages and streets that were depopulated of Arabs have "ArabFree" signs?

starting with some of the "A"s that were mostly ethnically cleansed within a single month:

al-Bassa
al-Birwa
al-Damunal
al-Kabri
al-Manshiyya
al-Mansura
al-Nabi
al-Nahr
al-Ruways
al-Sumayriyya
al-Tall
Amqa
al-Samniyya
Az-Zeeb

Your hate-filled rhetoric reminds me of many unsavoury times throughout history when people sought to divide, rather than unite, to vilify and victimise a single group

You mean it reminds you of all the unsavoury times Israel has victimised Palestinians throughout history. Never mind history, look at the recent unsavoury times when Israel is seeking to divide rather than unite, to vilify and victimise a single group. You are right, this is unsavoury and stinks of apartheid, yet you support it.

Yep Israel is very much an abhorrent apartheid state.

Just reading up on the list of ethnically cleansed villages that PJ posted. It is absolutely horrifying how village after village was systematically destroyed. Today they continue destroying Palestinians and what little they have. Boycott is the way forward. It is gaining momentum in UK, Europe, worldwide and even in the US. More and more academics are boycotting Israeli Academic institutions due to the blatant human rights violations.

Proponents of boycotts are just getting started link

Boycott Israel!

yurapita, may I ask what kind of phone you are using? or what computer? or what medicines? I'm wondering how far you're taking the boycott.

I wish I could post pics to show exactly how Jews have been ethnically cleansed from the middle east.

as I said, Israel cannot be apartheid. its the only place in the middle east where there is racial and religious equality. In fact, the man elected to preside over the upcoming Israeli elections is actually an arab!

The BDS movement relies on lies and hate.

Kareninsgirl "racial and religious equality"

You are, of course, joking.

Not at all. where else in the middle east can all religions practice with tolerance and in safety? including christians?

You don't think that seizing land from people, on the grounds of their ethnicity and religion, is incompatible with racial and religious equality.

You don't think that seizing religious sites and keeping out members of other religions at gunpoint, is incompatible with racial and religious equality.

Your support for Israel's oppressive racist and monotheistic regime is disgusting.

On the contrary. Jews are prevented from entering temple mount, their holiest site, so that Muslims can pray there without causing issues.

to me, that is very telling of the religious tolerance in Israel.

"I am not "spreading hatred"

"I am not using "hate-filled rhetoric"

Oh but you are, Piglet, you are. you, and your little band of Israel haters.

I applaud SergeantMajor and KareninsGirl (and others) for standing up for Israel, and Jews.

But it's a lost cause. How can you argue with these people who try to direct you only to links that support their narrow-minded, hateful, hate-filled views?

Who just want to point out how wicked Israel is. Who can't admit Hamas is a terrorist organisation, that the Palestinians send rockets into Israel, that Israelis are killed and maimed by suicide bombers and attackers.

Go on. Admit it. Then tell us how you want to achieve peace. That's what Jews want. That's what Israel wants.

"Oh but you are, Piglet, you are. you, and your little band of Israel haters."

You should be ashamed of yourself for this lie.

piglet, you have had the indecency to accuse me of not caring about palestinian lives; of supporting a 'regime' and of being 'disgusting '.

those are all lies.

your posts are filled with hatred towards Israel. There is no lie there

do you deny that Israel is guilty of seizing land from people, on the grounds of their ethnicity and religion? Or do you just claim that it is compatible with racial and religious equality?

Do you deny that Israel is guilty of seizing religious sites and keeping out members of other religions at gunpoint? Or do you just claim it is compatible with racial and religious equality?

i'm sure you point out the difference to your children between disliking their actions and disliking them. it's a basic concept why pretend to have lost understanding of it?

criticising actions, condemning war crimes etc is not the same as spreading hatred. this is nonsense being stated now and i'm convinced you must know it.

salauds Great way to achieve peace murdering your opponent's political representatives (not to mention their children). Can't wait to hear the Israeli propaganda machine defend this one. Rockets, tunnels, Hamas etc etc etc. Repeat ad nauseum.

salauds - I don't believe it is a lost cause to argue with the Israel-haters. But even if it is, I still don't want the nasty and inaccurate comments to go unchallenged. The other side of the story needs to be represented, even if I have to dive into this pit of vitriol to do it. People who disagree with each other need to talk to each other.

I know many people who support Israel have been driven off this thread and I often ask myself why I don't walk away too. Then I imagine if it was left entirely to the Israel-haters and all the untruths, disturbing links and explicit hatred carried on being posted in public, but without any detractors. And that's a lot worse.

the people on here are generally not Israel-haters.

However there are quite a number of people who are opposed to inhumane treatment, ethnic cleansing, racial oppression and the theft and occupation of land. Many such people do not turn off their consciences and their disapproval just because the perpetrator is the State of Israel, and they will criticise such actions by the State of Israel.

Only a person whose attachment to Israel is greater than their humanity can describe such critics as Israel-haters.

I'm not anti Israel, I'm anti Israel's governments actions.

I wonder what goes through the mind of a person who describes as "Anti-Israel" a person who is opposed to inhumane treatment, ethnic cleansing, racial oppression and the theft and occupation of land.

I suppose such a person must also have been Anti-Soviet, anti-German, anti-Tasmanian and anti-South-African in the past. Among many other examples.

the worrying thing is that the logic of their statement implies that they believe israel is inherently tied with those things if they equate criticising those things with hating israel.

let's hope they're wrong.

The Israeli regime wants land. It wants peace for itself but not the Palestinians. Voting in extreme right wing is not going to bring about peace any time soon, just more land grab, injustice and suffering. But since that is what Israeli government is good at, then they will carry on.

And the latest peace initiative by IDF - they killed a Palestinian minister who was wanting to plant an olive tree for International Human Rights Day.www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/10/palestinian-minister-dies-confrontation-israeli-soldiers-west-bank

Oh and here is another initiative demonstrating how high up peace is on their agenda. Its the Israeli defence minister saying oops we have had to slow down with the settlement building whist Obama is in charge, but when he's gone we will get moving much faster! So peaceful!

www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/10/israeli-defence-minister-obama-administration-wont-be-around-forever

Israel has a bunch of thrives in government.

Boycott Israel!

absolutely awful.

As per the BDS website, "The campaign for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) is shaped by a rights-based approach and highlights the three broad sections of the Palestinians: the refugees, those under military occupation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and Palestinians in Israel. The call urges various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law by:

1. Ending its occupation and colonisation of all Arab lands occupied in June 1967 and dismantling the Wall;
2. Recognising the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens in Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

The BDS call was endorsed by over 170 Palestinian political parties, organisations, trade unions and movements. The signatories represent the refugees, Palestinians in the OPT and Palestinian citizens of Israel"

How anyone can see 'hate filled rhetoric' in those stated aims or suggest that it isn't wanted by Palestinians is beyond me.

I would love to be a fly on the wall come the US's meeting with Netanyahu come Monday...

The fact that Israel refuses to grant human rights to the Palestinians just goes to show that Israel us the biggest obstacle to peace. Abbas has no peace partner. The right wing Israeli government is more interested in stealing land than following legal obligations.

Ireland is now looking at recognising Palestine. The Israeli officials are still bleating on about how these actions affect peace! Go figure.

The link below states that the recognition of Palestine by so many countries will eventually influence policy. I hope that justice for Palestine comes much sooner. Its been too long already.

www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/11/france-ireland-europe-recognise-palestine-israel