By Doug Bandow, Special to CNN
Editor’s note: Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, specializing in foreign policy and civil liberties, and worked as a special assistant to President Reagan. The views expressed are his own.
The latest round of violence between Israel and Hamas has ebbed. But nothing has been settled.
Hamas has failed at the basic task of governing while ruling with an iron hand. Moreover, nothing justifies spraying Israeli cities with missiles.
However, Israel has contributed mightily to the violence. Israel occupied Gaza for four decades and continues to occupy the West Bank, with which Gaza long was intimately connected. Only in 2005 did Prime Minister Ariel Sharon finally remove 8,000 settlers, who enjoyed a privileged existence in the midst of more than one million Palestinians, many of them refugees or descended from refugees forcibly displaced by Israel’s formation.
Once Hamas was elected, Israel blockaded the territory, even calculating the minimum calories needed for each resident, according to reports on defense ministry files from 2008. Although Israel has since eased the rules, the Israeli humanitarian group Gisha noted: “Gaza’s connections with Israel and the West Bank, vital for its economy and the welfare of its residents, are still subject to sweeping restrictions.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “No government would tolerate a situation” where its “people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile file.” True. But neither would any government tolerate a situation where its people live in what former Israeli official Shlomo Ben-Ami termed “an open air prison.”
The policy is folly. Justified as denying Hamas construction materials and the like, the blockade enriches the movement, which taxes goods smuggled in. Wrecking the civilian economy weakens the private business community, which has the greatest interest in peaceful accommodation with Israel.
Yet Israel has not explained what it expects in return for lifting the blockade. Said Robert Wright in the Atlantic: “when you subject people to treatment like this, without even specifying the conditions under which the treatment would change, human nature pretty much ensures that bad things, including violent ones, will happen.”
Israel separates Gaza and the West Bank – it is difficult even for Palestinians to travel from one to the other. This eliminates any moderating influence from Ramallah and impairs creation of a responsible, united Palestinian government.
Finally, Israel has routinely used violence against Gaza, invading, bombing, and assassinating at will. Since 2006, Israel has killed more than 200 Palestinians just within an arbitrarily declared buffer zone. On November 5, Israelis killed an apparently mentally disturbed man. On November 8, Israeli forces invaded with tanks and killed a 13-year-old boy playing soccer. Two days later, rockets were fired in retaliation, leading to Operation Pillar of Defense. It is difficult to disentangle who provoked whom and when, but the blame runs both ways.
Moreover, Israel’s attacks are disproportionate. Israel has a long history of attacking civilians as a matter of policy. Decades ago, Menachem Begin admitted that earlier governments launched “retaliatory actions against civilian Arab populations; the damage was directed against such structures as the canal, bridges and transport.”
The earlier Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, which took place in 2008-09, killed around 1,400 Palestinians, most of them civilians. Jerome Slater of the State University of New York at Buffalo pointed to numerous studies that found that “Israel intentionally attacked Gazan economic targets as well as other civilian infrastructures and institutions.” More than 160 Gazans died in the latest round, half of them apparently civilians.
Unfortunately, such policies have not protected Israel. Acknowledged top Israeli official Moshe Arens: striking Arab civilians in an attempt to end attacks on Israeli civilians, “only increases the support that the terrorists receive from the civilian population.”
Indeed, Israel’s policy, however successful militarily, has been a bust politically. Palestinians have been ill-served by their leadership, but so are Israelis today. Foreign Minister Avignor Lieberman could be fairly called an anti-Semite if that term was used in reference to Arabs.
What popular support Hamas has lost from misgovernment it has regained by seeming to defend Palestinians. Hamas forced Israel to negotiate: the cease-fire requires talks on increasing the freedom of movement for people and goods and ending targeted assassinations.
In contrast, Israel has given nothing to President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. On my trip to Israel in August 2010, Israeli officials told me they respect PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad for cooperating in restraining terrorist attacks, yet he has no deliverables for his people.
Israel continues to expand settlements in the West Bank, many on land essentially stolen from Palestinians. For Israeli activists this represents a strategy of colonization and annexation. Knesset member Yaakov Katz looked forward to when more than a million Israelis would be living outside Israel’s original borders, after which, he said, “the revolution will be completed.”
In fact, Israeli policy seems designed to make peace impossible. According to an Israeli peace activist, Israel assassinated Hamas security chief Ahmed al-Jabari while he reportedly was negotiating over a cease-fire. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin argued that, “This blood could have been spared.”
Mahdi Abdul Hadi of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs complained that the Israeli attacks “left Abbas politically naked.” Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh declared: “after this war, even people in the West Bank are loving Hamas now.”
While Hamas might not seem to be a good partner for peace, both Israel’s Menachem Begin and Fatah’s Yasser Arafat shifted from terrorism to negotiation. Power has moderated the views of some in Hamas; in fact, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak was quoted in a WikiLeaks cable admitting that Hamas was “making a serious effort to convince the other factions not to launch rockets or mortars.”
Israel needs peace. Yet two states may become impossible as settlements expand – there already are 350,000 settlers in the West Bank, twice the number just a dozen years ago. At some point it will be impossible to uproot them as part of any agreement.
If not two states, then one. But eventually the number of Arab Israelis and Palestinians will exceed that of Jews, in which case Israel would either cease being a Jewish state or a democratic state. Leaving millions of Palestinians as modern helots would be both a human travesty and national disaster.
If Israel proceeds down this path it would become even more important for the United States to separate itself from Israeli policy. America is already blamed for Israeli mistreatment of Palestinians. A real friend states even unpleasant truths when giving advice. The United States should do the same to Israel.
The latest battle involving Gaza is a tragedy with no purpose. Without a shared commitment to peace, the violence will continue.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Try a change of perspective ! Rather, consider it as simply another example of Muslim violence against non-Muslim neighbors, as in Boko Haram, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Runda Kumpalan Kecil, Abu Sayyaf Group, etc. If you’re a Buddhist in southern Thailand, A Hindu in Kashmir or a Christian in Nigeria then the idea that this is a Jewish/Muslim Arab conflict is absurd. Contemplate the idea that this fighting was simply the start of the most recent round (circa 1920)of Islamic aggression that goes back to the slaughter of the Banu-qurayza
You have collapsed history with what is happening . Israel is the aggressor . Think about it on a micro level. If you someone treated you aggressively how would you respond? The problem with Palestine is that they are not using the UN , the Media and International law to punish Israel for its Aggressions , rather She fights the only way it can. Remember who initiated these issues, an Isreali air strike, now there is a chaos, Could Israel have used a more intelligent method? Diplomacy? It's a shame whats happening in both countries. Its mostly a sign of stupidity . An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."Ghandi"
The definition of aggression is "an UNPROVOKED attack". Now you may recall that Israel DID NOT START A SINGLE WAR in its entire history...
It comes as no suprise that aggression is blatant in Gaza and the West Bank. Social grievances and economic turmoil make an excellent time-bomb. The struggle between Fatah and the Hamas weakens the Palestinians' position in negotiating with Israel. While the Palestinian Authority under Fatah's leadership is seen as weak, Hamas has won popular support and recognition by Egypt and Qatar recently. As hatred and aggression don't subside, it's doubtful that the cease-fire will be durable.
Israel murders 11 TIMES AS MANY CIVILIANS AS HAMAS, thats why no jew will answer any question related to Israel, all the jews can say is " look at hamas, looks at them, they want to kill us"....Yes and Israelis want to kill every palestinians, so whats your point jews?
Israel has it in their charter that they want to wipe out Palestine and erase it from History. I mean imagine if we Americans lived there and they starved us, murdered our family, spat at us, took our possessions, and than said that we are wrong? how do you react? what do you do? do you live on your knees or die on your feet? Israel has made it impossible for peace bc thats what they want, they want Palestine!!!!! they dont care about peace, peace will not allow tem to take the land, so why would Israel want peace? ISRAEL WANTS BLOOD AND LAND....
Hamas has dedicated itself to the total destruction of Israel including land granted in 1948, their rockets target nothing but a general land mass and anyone living on it. This article was as prejudiced as antisemitic propaganda of the third Reich. I am grateful for the restraint Israel has shown in this encounter. CNN has fallen a notch in my opinion by the publication of material so biased. When Hamas had access to funds what did they buy farming equipment? medical supplies? school books? no they bought rockets for a useless and bloody terrorist attack.
Yes , they bought farming equipment. What are you a moron? You think Israel is the knight in shining armor? I challenge you to live one day in Palestine. You and your family. Then come back and post, outside of that get your history straight you know nothing about semitc .. you just speak like a parrot.
Are you a moron ? your really quick to start calling names and pointing fingers .... exactly what we expect from a muslim. Shmoon it is you who are mistaken how can more than a billion ppl be so brainwashed and follow this dictator type religion and think what they practice is God's will? All Muslims have is the racist card in their defence ..... which is all they have. Muslims and Islam is a disease. You say go and live in Palestine and see how we like it ? Y would we? it is like a bunch of children living together following the ice cream truck. Israel is if anything being civil, and they have the worlds best interest in mind. Islam will fall and only then their will be more peace in the world. Islam does not allow you to think for yourself, or be yourself. You know what im done standing up for freedom and talking to ppl like yourself. When you reach the end of your life only then you will realize that you wasted it, instead of living it.
Shmoon... If the Palestinians did not like the current arrangement they would NEGOTIATE A BETTER DEAL long ago. No amount of complaints will change this simple truth, my friend. You see, as long as the majority of Palestinians are willing the war to continue they will continue to enjoy its results.
I agree 100%
HAIL! I've found ONE person who does "a bit of homework." Thanks, dude. You've made me proud. Having a good brain isn't enough. Nor does someone calling himself a "Thinker" make him one. What DOES count is doing the homework on an issue, especially an important one. As YOU have done.
A REAL thinker does his homework. So few do.
You get a hug.
Now try, as I've been doing for years, to get OTHER people to study Islam. If we don't, we'll NEVER be prepared for the horrors that lie ahead. We CAN thwart Muslim conquest, but never with making war or by impotently hating. THWARTING is the key; putting insurmountable obstacles between them and their yearned-for global CONQUEST. It can be done. War is the worst choice we can make, except in direct self-defense. Muslims slather for war. They may not be good at much, but they are VERY good at conquest. Been at it for 14 centuries, and counting. With great success, too.
I'm very disabled and frail, and old. I can't keep up my efforts much longer. I hope you, and others like you, will keep doing what I've been doing – trying to get people to do their homework on Islam. No matter how ugly it is. Few people can be bothered.
They'll be real bothered, though, when the wolf shows up at THEIR doorstep. And it won't be very long, either.
You actually get TWO hugs.
Doug Bandow has missed a key point. Hamas is not and will never be interested in peace. This is their religious conviction that will not change under any condition. Their actions are pragmatic if they try to stop the other terrorist organization in gaza from shooting missiles if they are being hit too hard or for some political gains. But no one in Israel believes they will make peace. This is they're main purpose and why the Arab street and Palestinians support them. Hamas will never abandon terrorism and war.
And Israel is?
David, answer the question!
Well, Ryan, if you believe that Israel is NOT interested in peace you should have no troubles to answer the following two simple questions:
1. WHAT are the benefits Israel can enjoy from a never-ending war with its neighbors and HOW can these benefits be compared to the tremendous cost of war in both lives and money?
2. If Israel WAS NOT interested in peace WHY did Israel offered peace to all its enemies since the first day of its independence and WHY did it sign peace agreement with the two Arab states that agreed to make peace with Israel?
It's obvious that this Bandow guy is ANTI-ISRAEL!!
Good riddance, your article sucks!
Bandow parrots the appeasement refrain with the cold-blooded discipline of any Foggy Bottom acolyte.
That siren song is older than Arafat and twice as putrid.
Abbas clings to the goal of destroying Israel through demands for territorial concessions. In reality, Abbas' "moderate" strategy merely repackages and peddles Arafat's refried “two-state” canard to internationalist brokers in order to delegitimize Israel and extort jizya (money) to redistribute– after Abbas' fatcats have skimmed their take.
The Abbas empowerment strategy is a fool's errand– unless you're one of the political-class parasites who peddle Abbas' snake oil while skimming blood-money brokerage fees in Foggy Bottom.
Bandow and the other smug internationalists need to realize that everyone sees through these worn-out, cynical refrains they're playing.
Nice vocabulary . After all that crap that you just spit out , can you tell me why a country as developed as Israel cant achieve unity with countries like Palestine ? Its because Israel uses toys like F16's instead of diplomatic relationships. The laws dont apply to Israel , Israel doesnt want to play by the rules yet expects to always be the victim. I think we're all getting tired of it .
Shmoon... On planet Earth sovereign states rarely "achieve unity" with other states. It happens it's BOTH states are interested in it, have common interests, language, etc. On this planet states NEVER "achieve unity" with their enemies.
Joel,
Its not about who he's against, its what he is dealing with . If someone doesn't like Israel and therefore they suck , isn't that the same mentality that Israel uses , except we only wish Israel would call people names, instead people get bombed.
Seriously? Lay off the bong water.
"But neither would any government tolerate a situation where its people live in [...] 'an open air prison.'" First of all, Gaza is not landlocked and surrounded on all sides by Israel. It shares a border with Egypt, too, and Egypt imposes almost as astringent a control on Gaza as does Israel. Secondly, where does it say that Israel's border with Gaza has to be open? Is America's border with Mexico free and open? Would it stay open if Mexico started bombarding American cities? You then say "Israel has killed more than 200 Palestinians just within an arbitrarily declared buffer zone. On November 5, Israelis killed an apparently mentally disturbed man. On November 8, Israeli forces invaded with tanks and killed a 13-year-old boy playing soccer. Two days later, rockets were fired in retaliation[.]" You conveniently omit the little detail of Israeli forces and traffic along the Gaza border being routinely targeted by roadside bombs on the Israeli side. You also "forgot" the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. I'll stop here because it's evident that this is not an objective discourse but a rather dilettante piece of agitprop. Shalom.
Your just another reason why the world doesnt work . One sided, not objective, what results are you committed to producing with your answers? Please tell me your above the age of 5 , because right now you are weeping and acting as if someone took your toy. There are two sides that are in pain , HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SOLVE IT?
^ More barely literate spittle-flinging, masquerading as dialogue.
Take your Haldol.
The proxy Gaza War has little to do with Israelis or Fakestinians– and everything to do with Iran and the West.
The Gaza escalation is a case of Iranian mullahs (via their Hamas and Hezbollah proxies) using a human-shielded military platform to launch waves of missile attacks against innocent civilians (both Arab and Israeli) and advance their genocidal nuclear ambitions.
For those interested in a more scholarly discussion of the nature and goals of the global jihad phenomenon, try “The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic holy war and the fate of non-Muslims”
[McKeldin Stacks: BP182.L45 2005]
20K+ deadly Islamo-terrorist attacks globally since 9/11 don't lie
http://thereligionofpeace.com/
Yes, Israel separates Gaza from the West Bank, but this isn't occupation, it's geography. The West Bank and Gaza are not geographically contiguous. Even if Israel were to entirely retreat to the pre-1967 borders, the West Bank and Gaza would STILL be separated.
It geography.. LOL , well then in that case what are we feeding for? We found the answer , its geography according to Mr. NoBody
As a matter of fact, it's not geography but TOPOLOGY, the geometrical study of manifolds and maps between them that essentially forbids continuity between Gaza and the West Bank for the very same reason it forbids continuity between Montana and Alaska.
Not sure why you have chosen to blame Israel, other than your own personal agenda. Do you care that gaza and west bank arabs hate each other and distrust each other? How can one have peace with a group that is bent on killing of their own. Witness everyday the killings of Arab Muslims on Arab Muslims. I wonder if you care that over 40000 Arab Muslims have been murdered by a fellow Arab Muslim, the great Dr. Assad. Your reporting is does nothing to solve the situation. Shame on you, Your hatred shows.
Are you an idiot? You think this has to do with Race? If your town and your home were taken over by another town just because , without any mercy to your family, you will get whats going on , aside from that sit in your easy chair and enjoy your dunkin donuts coffee . People are very strangely similar , take some advice and use it . Whenever you have a complaint about the other side , try to sit on the receiving end and try to understand what its like for others. You will then be a different then every idiot that has tried to resolve these issues for decades.
Balanced and factual. Excellent piece on a sad situation.
What a steaming load of blithering, milquetoast, hand-wringing twaddle.
Jihad is permanent war. Hamas is using this phoney ceasefire (hudna) to rearm while their masters in Tehran enrich their uranium payloads.
What do neo-Quislings imagine talking to "partners" will accomplish?
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."
–Winston Churchill–
Its obvious that you are just another thoughtless rat banging your head against the wall. There is no cheese in your logic. Sorry, try again.
Here is the bottom line: Hamas's goal is to kill Israelis. If that changed, if they would recognize that Israel exists and tried to live in PEACE they will put an end to violence on BOTH sides and probably achieve most of what they want much faster.
Other than the first four lines, your article is a little, no, very one sided.
"Without a shared commitment to peace, the violence will continue." Is this guy kidding? Has he conveniently forgotten about Hamas' charter? I think this is called appeasement.
Stop crying. If your logic worked wouldnt we have peace?
As a matter of fact, he is right. Without a shared commitment to peace there will be no peace... and this means that as long as the vast majority of Palestinians are willing the war to continue it will continue and more Palestinians will be killed. When the number of dead Palestinians will satisfy those still alive they will ask for peace. The commitment to peace will become SHARED and peace will become possible.
What a fine example of Hamas puffery. Bytebit has it right. Mr. Miks once again prove how quick the liberal left is to jump on Israel while denying the facts.
"Yet Israel has not explained what it expects in return for lifting the blockade” ?
Mr. Bandow, do you really don't know?
Simply accept Israel's existence – that's a starting point for everything.
As a matter of fact, Israel explained it very clearly: NO VIOLENCE.
Mr.. Bando is either misinformed, naive, or a blithering idiot.
Well now that the informed one has spoken , everything got resolved! thanks for your useless comments!
You wrote, "The latest battle involving Gaza is a tragedy with no purpose. Without a shared commitment to peace, the violence will continue." What are you referring to by a shared commitment? Does anyone percieve of Hamas as having a commitment to peace? Does Hamas have any commitment to peace? You are lying, Doug. And your miisrepesentation here hits the nail on the head. Hamas is sworn to destroying Israel and killing Jews on their 'Arab' land – and you pretend that the reason Hamas is so mean is because of Israeli aggression and the open air prison? Everybody knows – and Hamas admits this: that is the prison was disbanded, wholesale murder of everyone but Sunni Hamas supporters would ensue. Hamas is not this way because 'their land was stolen' – they are an organization of people who are commited to be this way wherever they live and under all conditions.
Israel has made mistakes – but it has ever stood alone in hope for peace. The idea that Hamas could ever be a partner in peace is really just your way to say to Israelis – nay, to everyone in reach of Islamic jihadists the world over – "Trust me. Put down your weapons and bend a knee to those who are sworn to kill you – they are just waiting for you do be nice!"
And your writing is not that good, either, by the way.
It sounds like you are not hopeful. YOu cant decide what hammas is , this is just your opinion. Bring kindness, receive kindness. Bring hate receive hate. Your opiniion is weak , there is NO payoff for anyone to be characterized this way . Try again.
It is a fallacy that Israel attacks citizens on purpose. The soccer player you comment on was proven under investigation by the UN that it was a Palestinian bullet that killed the child during a cross fire exchange. When will we start looking at the barbarians that are the cause of this evil? Israel has always been willing to give up land for peace and that will never change as long as the party on the other side of the table agrees that the distruction of Israel is not part of their charter. Look at what is taught in Hamas schools? They teach not only hate against Israel but out-and-out anti-Semitism. When will the world come down on Syria? They have gassed their own people in the past and are responsible for the deaths of thousands of their own citizens. Peace can only be achieved is both sides agree not to want to destroy the other. When that happens Israel will be a willing partner as they have demonstrated in the past.
Its like a baby , take a toy away from her and she cries. Waa waa waa. Let's get back to a resolution . Stop your spoiled comments
I have tried to be objective to all entering this conversation; but I have a problem with the tone you take in your responses or replies.
You seem to talk like Obama by only putting down others or knocking their thoughts; not making smart direction with your conversation is the poorest way you can show your actual understanding or is that not apparent to you? You do not seem to have an intelligent response to anyone's comments; a diatribe as it were/is on a regular responsive basis.
Please comment with an intelligent response if it is possible.
None of the oppressive approaches by Israel should surprise anyone. It's all written in Joshua. They want it all, and will take the 'long view' of putting slow and persistent pressure on Gaza and other areas until the Palestinians are off the map. First it was the British in the 40's, now it's the Palestinians. It's more about hegemony than religious differences. The more divisive sects there are in Gaza, the easier Israel's job will be to push them out. Unifying Gazans WITHIN Gaza to create stability is the first step to their survival. Otherwise, it's just a matter of time working against them.
Gaza and the West Bank, belong to Israel as a "Spoil of War", a war, which Israel did not start, but handily won. Should we give Texas back to Mexico? Florida to Spain? Islam, as practiced in the middle east is a religion that promotes violence, and until Arabs remove the extremists from power and start governing themselves in a way acceptable in a world court, nothing will improve for the Palestinians. And a culture that promotes Sharia Law, will never be accepted in the court of World Opinion
Precisely.
Now, can we please drop the "West Bank" nonsense and identify Judea as Israeli homeland.
Thats what you think oh ignorant one.
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism.
"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."
–Zahir Muhsein, PLO Executive Committee–
And that's what Fakestinians think.
Why is this news? Its been going on for centuries!
With Idiots like this, thank G-d for nuclear weapons.
You credibility just went to hell. Bye bye.
This report is extremely biased. Is he not aware of how the Israelis went far out of their way to warn the citizenry of Gaza of where the bombings were going to be? How can he explain over 1500 bombings and many artillery blasts in one of the most densely populated areas in the world with only about 160 deaths. Israel took great pains to avoid civilian casualties, whereas Hamas targeted civilian areas. If Israel were to open the borders, all hell would break loose. Everywhere they live, they fight with other religions. They are not capable of peaceful coexistence with other religions. Hamas' declared objective is the destruction of Israel and its Jews. How do you make peace with that??
How can a serious peace effort be made while the charter of Hamas continues to state, "For our struggle against the Jews is extremely wide-ranging and grave, so much so that it will need all the loyal efforts we can wield, to be followed by further steps and reinforced by successive battalions from the multifarious Arab and Islamic world, until the enemies are defeated and Allah’s victory prevails." Mr. Bandow conveniently ignores the reality of 1948 when Israel agreed to a two state solution only to be followed up by succesive Arab wars intent on destroying the Jewish state. We talk of peace as if Hamas and other terrorist organizations hold that value.
Balanced and objective reporting. What is the economic cost to the US in aiding Israel to occupy Palestinian land vis a visa vis how much it will save in security costs by abandoning Israel? Israel too is spending so much on security which could be channeled to helping Palestinians and maybe court some support from there. Let Israel spend 10 billion dollars a year on Gaza and see if rockets will be fired from there! That will surely be a strategic path to peace.
If money poured into Gaza it would only line the pockets of corrupt officials. What gurantees the money will be used for peaceful purposes? The left thinking on this is entirely misguided. The road to hell is always paved with good intentions.
No , your just wrong
I have some news for you. For starters, "spending 10 billion dollars in Gaza" by Israel IN RESPONSE to terrorism will PROVE that terrorism works and that MORE terrorism will work even better. Further, NO ONE (probably, including yourself) was able to explain WHY the "occupied Palestinian land" should belong EXCLUSIVELY to the Arabs or even WHAT ARE THE BOUNDARIES of this "occupied Palestinian land". Still further, abandoning Israel by the US will cause Iran and the Arab states to try and destroy the Jewish State again as they've done in 1948, 1967 and 1973. Israel does not have strategic bombers, aircraft carriers or millions of troops meaning that its options to defend itself are rather limited. This, in turn means that a large scale aggression against Israel will turn the largest oil fields on the planet into radioactive wasteland sending the world economy into a crisis of epic proportions and effectively ending our civilization as we know it. Do you still want the US to abandon Israel, my friend?
There is no such thing as palestinian land. Nobody holds claim to the "west bank" except Israel. Jordan took the West bank of the Jordan River by force after it was allotted to Israel by the U.N. and Israel took it back in 1967. Jordan is over 70% of palestine but nobody asks them for land. One palestinian state is enough. Even Egypt won't take Gaza.
Antisemite. Do any of you zionist cronies recognise that JEWS and ARABS are semitic owing to their semitic languages. (Yes you heard it right, Arabic and Hebrew are BOTH semitic languages).
For those of you who are anti-Arab in your comments your are the antisemitic people, by definition.
Shame on all of you.
If you have a problem with language, try looking it up in a proper dictionary.
I agree with you .
Using the word in context Anti Semitism has been the scourge and curse of those of us who are more commonly known as Jews. So suck it up, as It rarely means anti Muslim. The only people who fight anti semitism are Jews.
While you can be a semite when some one calls you a #^%%& Jew, he is an anti semite. Meaning Hating Jews for the fact they were born that way.
I fully agree with you as well. Any dictionary defines ANTISEMITISM as hatred and bigotry against the Jews and there is no possible reason WHY an Arab CAN NOT hate Jews. The fact is that hatred and racism against the Jews is the official policy of most Muslim countries and is indoctrinated to Muslim children since the very young age. It's unfortunate that those recommending us to "look up" something in a proper dictionary DON'T KNOW how to use a dictionary. They DON'T KNOW that the words there are arranged in an alphabetical order meaning that the word ANTISEMITISM can be found in the "A" section, between Antiscorbutic and Antisense, and NOT in the "S" section where the word "SEMITE" is located.
Israels policy to Gaza is not great but honestly what options does it really have with a neighbor that it is effectively at war with? Hamas does not just want to occupy Gaza, it wants to occupy Israel & eradicate the Jews Hamas is trying to make things worse because the issue brings it power & allies for the extremes. We hear little about the West Bank. Why? Because both sides are trying to resolve their issues without bombs & missiles.
Hamas is holding the people of Gaza hostage for their goals and upping the body count to inflame the zealous and intimidate the squeamish. Until the leadership of Gaza is actually willing to accept peace, Israels only option is war and unjust suffering of the innocent shields and martyrs.
CNN you are trash. too far to the Left for my test.
"Moreover, nothing justifies spraying Israeli cities with missiles."
This was a terrible war crime, which you treat as a case of chickenpox. How about spraying your city and your house with missiles? Then we will have a discussion why you deserved such a punishment. You are asking for trouble not only for Israel, but even for this country, my excessively educated fellow.
I fully agree that spraying Israeli cities with missiles was indeed a "terrible war crime". Now can you elaborate on HOW exactly spraying Israeli cities with missiles makes the Palestinian militants who committed this terrible war crime "asking for trouble not only for Israel, but even for this country"?
How many wars has Israel had, and have to have to prove it wants to live in peace? How many Arab nations speak nothing more of only wanting to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth Including Hamas. This is is a secret. Israel has no policy of invading for lands sake and gave back 10 x times its own territory in Sinai just for peace. It gave back Gaza for rockets fire returns. Hamas has created a situation of absolute terror for its own people. Blaming Israel for all the terror in Africa and Arabia will not solve the problem of a Radical Islam who undereducates its masses to breed terror, for terror sake – Certainly no religion teaches this.
There are three possible ways to end a war, to WIN, to LOSE and to MAKE PEACE. The number of Jews living under Palestinian rule in the West Bank and Gaza makes it painfully obvious that Israel CAN NOT AFFORD TO LOSE. This leaves the Palestinians with the two remaining options and it's THEIR choice which one they like more. As long as they will reject the MAKE PEACE option they will continue to LOSE.
Gaza was originally part of Israel. Egypt captured it when that country joined all the Arab countries in trying to wipe out Israel when it was born in 1947. Egypt did not permit the Palestinians to join Egyptian society...leaving them landless – they DID HAVE HOMES in Israel. Israel did not kick them out. Then, after the Arabs attacked Israel – unprovoked – twice: during the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War, Israel took Gaza back. Finally, Israel unconditionally gave Gaza to the Palestinians several years ago – every person, soldier, etc. etc. left – and greenhouses were left to help the Palestinians get going again. The response? They destroyed the greenhouses and started firing rockets into Israel. This is not a Jewish rant – this is history.
How refreshing to see someone in a major American news source speak something akin to the truth regarding Israel. Avigdor Lieberman represents the modern face of Israel. He and his kind have no intention of ever giving up the West Bank. The window for a two-state solution is closing, if it has not already closed. And according to Haaretz, "Greater Israel" is already majority non-Jewish and so, as they put it, "apartheid is here."
Given the facts on the ground, shall we now work towards a single state that gives no preference to any ethnic group? And so would end the Jewish state replaced, perhaps, by something better – a home for Jews and Arabs. Could it work?
What are the Americans visualizing as the end game? US political leaders cannot criticize Israel no matter what (see H. Res. 813) and so end up being the enabler, feeding the Jewish state enough rope – in UN vetoes, cluster bombs, and engorged foreign aid – to hang itself.
The answer to your question is a simple NO. You see, Israelis DO NOT WANT to live in the same state with the Palestinians and the Palestinians DO NOT WANT to live in the same state with the Jews. on the other hand it's up to the Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza to decide if they want ONE state, TWO states or NO states. It's THEIR (and NOT Israel's) for as long as the Palestinians do not try to attack Israel.
Good idea. Make the one tiny Jewish state smaller and give the Arabs a 23rd and 24th state of mindless mayhem.
Arab Math.
The bottom line: If Gaza would stop sending missiles into Israel and adopt and peacful and cooperative stance all hostilities would stop. The rest is smoke and mirrors trying to confound chicken and egg. Dont buy into this.
Pretty much says it all.
why did the third reich not finish the job? that would have relieved us of all the headaches we have to deal with everyday
It is Palestinian land and Israel is the occupier? How bout looking into the History of that land. It is clearly Israeli land and Israel should evict anyone that wants to eradicate Jews. How can you negotiate with a government/people that drags someone behind a motorcycle and the people cheer like it is a parade float.
Yes, DO look at the history. Arabs have been living in Palestine since shortly after the death of Mohammed in 632 AD. That is over 1300 years! The Hebrew nation of Israel only existed for a few hundred years after the end of the New Babylonian occupation of Palestine until Rome kicked them out in the Diaspora. There is NO archaelogical or historical basis for the myth of the "kingdom of David". There is NO reference to such a country in the histories of ANY of the neighboring countries such as Phoenicia, Philistia, Egypt, etc. Before the Babylonian occupation, the Hebrews were an illiterate nomadic people that lived in that general area for a long time, but only as minority population. Saying that Palestine is "Jewish land" is like saying that all of Europe and western Asia should be declared as the "Land of the Romani (Gypsies)". The Zionists "bought" Israel from the English, who had no right to sell it. They did NOT buy it from the people who had been living there for the past 1300 years. ISRAEL started all of the wars by stealing Palestine from the Arabs. ISRAEL is killing FAR more Palestinians than the numbe of Israelis killed by Palestinians. ISRAEL is killing MOSTLY women and children. The Palestinians are killing MOSTLY Israeli soldiers. Israel retailiated against Hezbollah in Lebanon for kidnapping 3 Israeli soldiers by indiscriminately killing over 1200 people in South Lebanon, only about 60 of whom were Hezbollah. Israel "warned" the villages in South Lebanon by dropping leaflets telling people to evacuate and then bombed them on the roads when they tried to flee. Who are the terrorists?
I’ve lived in the mid-east & I’ve studied archaeology and history in grad school. You are misinformed; there is very solid evidence for a Jewish kingdom from circa 1000 BC and for Jewish habitation from at least then up to and long after Rome. And of course you are sadly & obviously biased against Jews and Israel; they only defend themselves, as would you.
The Israeli goal is to completely take over all of what remains of Palestine through the never ending building of settlements....no Palestinians = security in the Israeli mindset.
There is no real desire for a peaceful resolution and the creation of a 2 state situation...Israel is currently trying to stop any UN bid for observer status in the UN on the part of Palestine... it is denying the Palestinians the right to exist..not just in words but in actions and threats as well.
Once the Israeli settlements have become too numerous to be removed and that there is nothing left of Palestine then Israel will feel it has completed it's eradication of those pesky people who dared resist the takeover of their territory.
While Israel will feel smugly content the Arab world will be making plans to do the same to Israel as what Israel did to the Palestinians...it will then require the ongoing dominance of the US to save Israel's bacon and that dominance will not last indefinitely.
Give it 200 years and Israel will possibly not exist due to it's creation of so much hatred toward it in the middle East over the treatment of the Palestinian people.
Nothing will have been gained or settled permanently despite the horrendous suffering of civilians on both sides.
War graves are the result of flawed diplomacy and mass civilian graves are the result of flawed Governments and war crimes.
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism.
"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."
–Zahir Muhsein, PLO Executive Committee–
Try harder to avoid aping Fakestinian propaganda lies.
You missed it. There is already a two state solution. palestine was divided into 30% Israel and 70% Jordan in 1948.
This is an incredibly biased and false article.
What facts or arguments of the article do you challenge? It seemed well written to me. It acknowledged that Israel is in a difficult situation, but pointed out the obvious fact that current policy perpetuates endless war. Some believe endless war is the only option. The author does not.
I'm guessing you want it to criticize the Hamas more and say Israel is perfect? The Hamas are horrible, but that's not the point. The point is, economically starving the Gaza Strip will only empower radicals. Bombs won't help either.
When the day comes that MEN of any religion love their wives and children as much as they love themselves then maybe their can be a dialog that both sides can agree on. I would kill and man who ask MY SON or Daughter to strap on a bomb. When he is not willing to do so himself but convinces a young and easily persuaded person to do so. From what I have seen this will never happen. THE OLD MEN ARE NEVER GOING TO DO THAT. I am 64 years old and these old men make me sick.
Israel's policy will ensure a perpetual state of war.....
Yeah, that's believable, if Hamas and Hezbollah, and their main sponsor, Iran haven't said they'd like to see Israel wiped off the map.
Israel has made peace with two neighboring countries, which had been two of the most active threats to Israel in the first three Arab-Israeli wars. In fact, Israel pledged to sell Jordan F-16s if the US didn't sell Amman the jets themselves.
What an absolute load on rubbish! Never have I read more biased nonsense! I don't know what this is called, but it’s for sure not journalism, I couldn't even finish reading this for fear of losing brain cells!
Providing some kind of logical response, or alternate view point would give some kind of credibility to this trash, so I am not even going to waste my time!
I do however think it is at least worth mentioning that Israel delivered 1,520 truckloads of suppliers to Gaza in the week 9-15 December 2012 including 346 truckloads of food products, 130 truckloads of humanitarian products and 649 truckloads of CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS.
This article (if you can call it that) would be comical if it weren't going to incite hatred and more violence.
While Jason may be blinded by his own biases, personal inclinations and distorted view of reality, CNN needs to accept the responsibility demanded of it as an international media outlet and at least try to report the facts and offer alternate perspectives.
Dear Readers! I implore you to please independently research all sides of this conflict before basing your views on something and someone who should be shamefully banished into history as a distorter of facts and perverter of truth!
The author evidently suffers from dislexia. The headline should read "Hamas' Israel Policy Threatens Permanent War" It is Hamas that is dedicated to Israel's total destruction. The last line of this stupid piece says it all, "Without a shared commitment to peace, the violence will continue." Hamas is not committed to peace.