Reading Hamas the Riot Act!

There are numerous reasons.

1. Getting the American Military involved would be a disaster for the US and for the region, not to mention further damaging our standing in the world and with our allies.

2. Hamas hasn't shot at an American aircraft, nor have they made any indication they want to.

3. This conflict is bad for the US, it makes the world more dangerous for us, not to mention the billions of dollars it costs us a year to not be involved in this conflict.

4. The US wants to be in a position to broker a peace settlement. Making military threats against one side with no reason is very bad diplomacy.

You're new to the decades' old subject of Middle East politics and the history of the US/Middle East diplomacy, right?

The Europen capitals might then get inundated with protesting Arabs, and other assorted acting out. In effect, the Arab Street has extended itself into the western European countries, and Europeans might just be somewhat timid when it comes to emotional Arabs? My belief though is that no Arab Street would protest south of the Mason Dixon Line. Rednecks take no civil disobedience, in my opinion.

I wish we could read Israel the Riot Act. We have pledged to give them $30 billion in military aid, they should listen to us when they tell us to stop building settlements and attacking civilian areas.

I think we should be reading both sides the Riot Act, killing children shouldn't be accepted by anyone, but the Israeli's should be more apt to listen.

They haven't been a very good ally to us.

The world as a whole should make it clear that if you shoot down a civilian airliner, you will pay a heavy price.

Would you feel the same if the US ever shot down a civilian airliner?

Yes. You actually have a problem with bringing mass murderers to justice?

Geez Brandon... that was an ironic side comment.

You do realize that the US has sot down a civilian airliner, right? If not, you might want to do a little reading.

That would be unjust, as Israel is doing nothing wrong.



Israel is right to insist that a major concession like a halt to settlement construction should only be traded for at the bargaining table.

Plus, when Mr. Obama asked Israel to temporarily halt settlement expansion for 10 months, Israel did in fact do it.



Israel isn't attacking civilian areas. Only the Palestinians do that.



Unlike the Palestinians (who kill children for fun), the Israelis do not go around trying to kill children.



Yes they have.

----

I couldn't resist correcting your "they tell us" to "we tell them". Hope no offense is taken.

I'm guessing the OP is referring to the US temporarily halting flights to Israel's airport for fear of rocket attack.

Then tell me, JTTalloy, why did the OP use the phrase "shoot at American airplanes"?

These rockets aren't made for shooting at airplanes.

You actually have a problem with me coming out against mass murder, right? Because that is the totality of what I said. You feel you need to challenge my assertion that people who shoot down civilian planes need to be prosecuted? Either you disagree that they should be prosecuted or else you are challenging a statement that you agree with. Which is it?

I love irony, Brandon. Thank you for making me chuckle, it lightened up my morning. That's all I will say about that.

Come again?

Do I have any of my facts wrong anywhere?

Do I go around diverting threads off topic?

Do I engage in unprovoked name-calling?

Granted, I believe JTT is a good person trying to do the right thing, so I'm not terribly offended to be compared to him. I'd certainly rather be compared to JTT than be compared to some thug who harms innocent people.

But by what right do you suggest that I engage in the above behavior?



I'll try to explain it again if I get a satisfactory answer to the above.

I think Maxdancona is implying that thinking prosecution will ever happen is a pretty damn naive statement. Should it happen? Yes. Has it ever happened (those involved in shooting down a civilian plane ever being sent to trial then suffering the legal consequences)? No. Both the Russians (Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in 1983) and the US militaries have been let off scott-free.

In the case of the US military, I don't see much cause for prosecution. Our sailors honestly believed that they were under imminent attack.

Perhaps the Soviets should have done a little to verify whether or not it was a civilian plane, but I'm not sure that there is a clear case for prosecution there either.

You don't really believe that do you????



News
World news
Israel

Israel bans radio advert listing names of children killed in Gaza
Human rights group B'Tselem will petition Israel's supreme court after advert was deemed to be 'politically controversial'

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Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem
theguardian.com, Thursday 24 July 2014 03.24 EDT

A Palestinian rescue convoy navigates rubble in Gaza City
Aid agencies said on Wednesday that a child had been killed in Gaza on average every hour for the preceding two days. Photograph: Khalil Hamra/AP

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority has banned a radio advertisement from a human rights organisation which listed the names of some of the scores of children killed in Gaza since the conflict began 17 days ago.

B'Tselem's appeal against the decision was rejected on Wednesday. It intends to petition Israel's supreme court on Sunday in an effort to get the ban overturned.

The IBA said the ad's content was "politically controversial". The broadcast refers to child deaths in Gaza and reads out some of the victims' names.

In its appeal, B'Tselem demanded to know what was controversial about the item. "Is it controversial that the children [aren't] alive? That they're children? That those are their names? These are facts that we wish to bring to the public's knowledge."

In a statement, the human rights group said: "So far more than 600 people have been killed in bombings in Gaza, more than 150 of them children. But apart from a brief report on the number of fatalities, the Israeli media refrains from covering them." By Thursday morning, the death toll in Gaza had exceeded 700.

B'Tselem went on: "IBA says broadcasting the children's names is politically controversial. But refusing to do so is in itself a far-reaching statement – it says the huge price being paid by civilians in Gaza, many of them children, must be censored."

Aid agencies said on Wednesday that a child had been killed in Gaza on average every hour for the preceding two days, and more than 70,000 children had been forced to flee their homes. There has also been a spike in the number of premature births.

"The shocking number of children being killed, injured, or displaced in Gaza demands an unequivocal international response to stop the bloodshed," Save the Children said. "Entire families are being wiped out in seconds as a result of the targeting of homes."

Dr Yousif al Swaiti, director of al-Awda hospital, said: "We have witnessed many premature births as a result of the fear and psychological disorders caused by the military offensive. The number of cases of premature births per day has doubled, compared to the average daily rate before the escalation."

That's so obviously untrue. It just doesn't need refuting. Even the Israelis don't claim that. that's why they mortar in warning rounds one minute before they fire in a rocket attack. To "warn" civilians.

Please explain how that is.