@roger,
This thread evolved from the discussion of the trebuchet to the shepard's sling, which is a miniature trebuchet, to the present-day people who use the sling.
The shepherd's sling is a sort of miniature trebuchet. Your arm is the arm of the catapult, and the sling is the rope attached to it containing the projectile.
It is an ancient personal weapon second only to the bow and arrow for long distance.
In the biblical story of David and Goliath it represents the ability of the small to overcome the mighty. And this is no better represented than in the plight of the Palestinians against the weapon-superior Israelis. That the Palestinian boys have taken to slinging rocks at Israeli tanks and troops shows the pitiful and desperate measures they have resorted to and expresses the frustration and hopelessness of their situation. They are the true Davids against the mighty military strength of the Goliath Israel.
The Trump Administration has formed a strong alliance with Israel and Saudi Arabia against the alliance of Russia, turkey, and Iran ignoring the plight of the Palestinians with the chances of peace virtually nil.
