israel is bombarding gaza tonight.

[Heathcliffscathy]

my thoughts:

why?

because of demos over the last few days?

where is the UN resolution for a no-fly zone there?

2 children have been seriously injured so far.

this news depresses the fuck out of me especially in the context of what is happening in the wider middle east.

All of this is awful and there is a real feeling of doom and where will it end?

Are they thinking 'let's get in quick while the rest of the world is busy looking at Libya and all the other Arab nations, and Japan'?

erm, yes?

good night to bury this news?

I cannot tell you have fucking sad I am that anyone is bombing anyone (again). but this has just tipped me over. the situation is SO fucking hypocritical, inconsistent, illogical and unjust that it makes me want to scream.

how not have obv.

I agree, Sophable. It's just so so bloody sad.

Sophable, it happens more often than is reported sadly. The reason you are hearing about it now is because it's a distracting story and a nice back up to what is happening in Libya. Look at the Middle East it's all unstable. Bahrain is getting no coverage at all and it is just as bad there. Don't beat yourself up about it, there is nothing you, I or David Cameron can do about it. Apart from butt out of Libya.

bahrain, syria, yemen...

nevermind the nightly F16 outings over gaza just to terrorise.

it doesn't pass me by kleftico, but i have to say this latest round, given the current context just beggars belief.

When the Israelis were raining cluster bombs down on Gaza in Jan 2009 during Operation Lead Obama refused to lift a finger as did the rest of the so called "international community". Such are these times. Why people still get perplexed by this instead of DOING summat about it I'll never know.

Hypocrisy rules the waves and unless you're totally for that in order to maintain our relatively rich lifestyles then stop voting those parties who're complicit in this. (All of the mainstream ones btw.)

The Palastinians are not completely blameless
news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110312/wl_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictsettlers

QB - collective punishment is a war crime. You can't just bomb the fuck out of a populated area on the grounds that one or two or three or a dozen of the thousands of people who live there might be your targets.

Well, apparently you can because the international community will turn a blind eye. But it is illegal.

One American life = Two Israeli lives = 10,000 Palestinian/Iraqi/Libyan/Afghani/Pakistani lives.

The twin towers was a horrific act but the USA/UK have killed many multiples of the lives lost in Middle East civilians in revenge.

I cannot understand why drone bombing civilians is not a war crime.

The USA blew up a crowd of women and children to take out a Taliban commander and considers it a price worth paying.

Double standards all round

I thought I read recently that Hammas had offered some sort of truce provided the bombing stops - what a mess.

Here - re Hamas offer of truce.

I think the international community has stopped caring - all we get is a bunch of nonsense sounds bites and twisted news. I think both sides know the world doesn't care which is why everything is escalting on both sides.

When the Ittamar massacre occured, the international community has refused point blank to condemn those actions, or condemn Hamas for praising those actions and saying they were legal and justified (how slitting a 4 year old's throat while he is bed is justified...). The news coverage was all about how Israel's response may affect the road to peace with no mention that that the group that has claimed responsibility for it is part of a moderate arm of Hamas and would be part of any negotiations and how that may affect peace. Israel's been mortarted on a practically daily basis for years and the terrorizing of Sderot gets no mention. Last Wednesday, there were rocket attacks on an Israeli residential area (this is what the current assault is in response to). Again, no condemnation even with children seriously wounded, no mention in the press.

The entire issue of Israel and Palestine (and several other world conflicts) was created by the wider international community not knowing one thing about the region or the people there, carving things up, and giving no support after having it's way, just dirty looks when there well thoughtout plan turned out to just make things worse.