The Zionists still speak with forked tongue; they continue to use the "fear of Palestinians terrorism" as their byword while they take over Palestinian lands illegally - without any legal rights for the Palestinians. The Zionists continues their expansion in the WB - even today.
Then they wonder why they continue to fear suicide bombers. There's no cure for stupid.
Lecturing Israel on the Need for Peace? Give Me a Break, Please
By David A. Harris, Executive Director, American Jewish Committee, February 24, 2008
Not a day passes that I don't encounter another Israel-directed lecture on the imperative of peace.
Sometimes it comes from diplomats. Or from editorial writers. Or from columnists. Or from scholars. Or from human-rights groups.
Frankly, it makes my blood boil.
First, it assumes that Israel wants peace for itself less than others do.
Second, it displays an arrogance that what may not be immediately apparent to Israel is abundantly obvious to those on the outside sitting in their ministries, offices, ivory towers, or vacation spots.
And third, it reveals a lack of humility insofar as Israel, and Israel alone, will bear the consequences?-and they could be calamitous?-of any misguided actions.
Strikingly, many of these commentators have never been to Israel, or have visited infrequently, or visit, but only in the company of those who share the same ideological predisposition. For instance, an individual appointed to head up a U.S.-based Arab-Israeli peace group had never set foot in Israel before assuming the position.
I know of no people on earth that has prayed for peace longer than the Jewish people. Turning "swords into plowshares" and "spears into pruning hooks," and visualizing a day when the lion and lamb would lie down - and wake up - together weren't conceived as slogans on Madison Avenue; they're the Jewish people's age-old contribution to civilization.
I know of no nation on earth that yearns for peace more than Israel, no nation, victorious in unsought wars, that has been more generous in yielding to its vanquished foes' terms in pursuit of peace, and no nation that has taken more demonstrated?-and tangible?-risks for the sake of peace than Israel.
To think otherwise is to assume that Israel would prefer a state of permanent conflict, and that, quite frankly, would be preposterous.
Of course, there are debates within Israel about the best way to arrive at peace. How could it be otherwise? There is no surefire plan for getting from here to there in the topsy-turvy Middle East. Six decades of Israel's existence have amply demonstrated the challenges.
But can any well-intentioned person truly believe that the Jewish people, resettled in the land of their ancestors after centuries of violence, persecution, and stigmatization, would seek anything other than a long-denied tranquility and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors?
Or that survivors of the Shoah who were able to reach the shores of Israel, despite innumerable obstacles, would welcome decade after decade of ever-present conflict and danger?
Or that Israel's residents, whether settled in the country for generations or newcomers fleeing the intolerance of the Arab world or the oppression of Communist regimes, would seek a state of endless war?
Or that Israeli parents would wish to see their children, and then their grandchildren, and then their great-grandchildren go off to war, perhaps never to return?
Or that Israelis would welcome the daily barrage of rocket and mortar attacks raining down on Sderot and creating havoc in the daily lives of those trying to do nothing other than ride the roller coaster of everyday life? Or derive joy from the fact that all the children of this working-class town suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder?
Or that Israelis in the north would eagerly anticipate another barrage of Hezbollah-fired missiles from Lebanon targeted at anyone and everyone?
Or that Israelis would luxuriate in the knowledge that there is risk of a terrorist attack even in the simple act of riding a public bus, dancing in a discotheque, eating in a pizzeria, or attending a university?
Or that Israelis would relish the honor of being among the world's most highly taxed people because of the sustained burden of defense spending to ensure a qualitative edge over the forces of its adversaries?
Or that Israelis would derive pride from being shunted off to the far corners of international airports, where they're surrounded by heavily armed guards, for the simple pleasure of boarding planes destined for Tel Aviv?
Or that Israelis would take their cue from Hamas and Hezbollah leaders who propagate a culture of death and mayhem, when, in reality, Israel and the Jewish people have made an art form of celebrating life and seeking its enhancement?
No, the Israel I know desperately seeks peace. Israel's Declaration of Independence expressed it. The Israeli concessions for the Egyptian and Jordanian peace accords showed it. The withdrawals from Gaza and Southern Lebanon proved it. The efforts by successive Israeli governments to reach a viable two-state settlement with the Palestinians continue to underscore it. The polls consistently demonstrate it.
But those armchair commentators too often fail to grasp Israel's objective challenges in finding trustworthy partners. Instead, they've made a cottage industry out of ignoring, denying, minimizing, rationalizing, contextualizing, or trivializing the obstacles Israel has faced.
It's almost as if Hezbollah's blood-curdling cries to destroy Israel and the Jews, Hamas's aim of replacing all of Israel with an Islamic state, Iran's objective of a world without Israel, Syria's hospitality to all the leading terrorist groups in the region, and the teaching of incitement and contempt in Palestinian textbooks don't count for anything. Instead, they're simply seen as pesky, off-subject debating points by pro-Israel supporters.
We live in a half-cocked world.
For many, it's business as usual with Iran, while its leaders unabashedly call for an incitement to genocide.
The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, controlled by a reflexively anti-Israel numerical majority, routinely rewrites history by labeling Israel as an aggressor state, while blithely ignoring the threats and attacks it endures for no reason other than its very existence.
The media can't bring itself to call the Hamas and Hezbollah murderers of innocent civilians "terrorists," but instead more gently refers to them as "militants."
The conflict between Israel and Hamas is too often referred to antiseptically as a "cycle of violence," when it's anything but. After all, isn't there a clear moral difference between those who aim to murder and those whose objective it is to stop the murderers?
And the BBC took the rare step of apologizing after one of its reporters, reflecting the same mindset, lumped together in one sentence assassinated Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, who sought to rebuild his country, and Imad Mugniyeh, the Hezbollah terrorist mastermind recently killed in Damascus.
Peace has been at the heart of the Jewish journey for more than 3000 years. It has been at the heart of Israel's journey for six decades. We may need lessons in many things, but the imperative of seeking peace isn't one of them.
cicerone imposter wrote:The Zionists still speak with forked tongue; they continue to use the "fear of Palestinians terrorism" as their byword while they take over Palestinian lands illegally - without any legal rights for the Palestinians. The Zionists continues their expansion in the WB - even today.
Then they wonder why they continue to fear suicide bombers. There's no cure for stupid.
Israel is not grabbing the land of others. There is no Pal state, and Israel has rights to live outside of Israel proper. However, it would be wonderful should the Pals sit down in peace with Israel and work out the borders of a new Pal state. Egypt did this and regained the Sinai, which Israel seized as a prize of war.
From Advocate's article: I know of no people on earth that has prayed for peace longer than the Jewish people.
It's not prayer that will bring peace: it's equality for all its citizens.
Advocate, You mean, ofcoarse, that Pals can live anywhere else outside of Israel and live peacefully, but they are not allowed to live equally in Israel because it's the land for JEWS ONLY.
Too bad you fail to see the bigotry.
cicerone imposter wrote:From Advocate's article: I know of no people on earth that has prayed for peace longer than the Jewish people.
It's not prayer that will bring peace: it's equality for all its citizens.
Advocate, You mean, ofcoarse, that Pals can live anywhere else outside of Israel and live peacefully, but they are not allowed to live equally in Israel because it's the land for JEWS ONLY.
Too bad you fail to see the bigotry.
Who are the Pals to which you refer. Pal-Israelis have equal rights, and even serve in the nation's Knesset. Pals outside of the country have no rights in Israel.
CI, it would be better were you a bit more precise in your writing.
cicerone imposter wrote:From Advocate's article: I know of no people on earth that has prayed for peace longer than the Jewish people.
It's not prayer that will bring peace: it's equality for all its citizens.
Advocate, You mean, ofcoarse, that Pals can live anywhere else outside of Israel and live peacefully, but they are not allowed to live equally in Israel because it's the land for JEWS ONLY.
Too bad you fail to see the bigotry.
And your ignorance is showing.
While Judaism is the major religion in Israel, it is by no means the ONLY religion.
cicerone imposter wrote:Some people could never bring themselves up to the 21st century. If they want to talk about 2000 year old history, it's about as relevant as mickey mouse to the real world. Let's discuss the last 100 years or so; name your country; the geography and politics.
You're the one that brought it up.
Quote:Oh! Most of the Palestinians have lived in Palestine for generations, while the Jews of "Israel" are mostly new emigrants. You make no sense at all (the common kind).
I'm the one that brought it up, but you know damn well I wasn't talking about two thousand years ago. If you did, your brain just refuses to work properly.
SO basically you had no point then. I should have known.
It's too spacial for you to understand.
Quote:Israel pulled completely out of Gaza, leaving greenhouses and many other assets for the Pals. In thanks, the Pals commenced rocket and mortar attacks on Israel. I guess pulling out of Gaza was a huge mistake.
Israel never did pull out of Gaza; the whole thing was a PR staged stunt.
Quote:"We had withdrawal, but we don't have freedom. It is now clear, one year after the departure of Israeli forces that the occupation is continuing," Hani Habib, a journalist and political analyst, told AFP.
Israel still maintains control of Gaza's territorial waters and airspace. Military checkpoints hamper freedom of movement of people and goods inside the Palestinian territory.
http://mwcnews.net/content/view/8707/53/
'How can people live, I wonder?
The above is a must read concerning life after the Gaza withdrawal and the greenhouses and the shellings from Israel.
The settlement dismantling was shelved because of the war with Lebanon.
Israel Shelves Plan to Pull Out Of Settlements In West Bank
Quote:"I've decided to invest most of my energy and the government's energy in rehabilitating the north," Olmert said Monday in the northern community of Kiryat Shemona.
"This is a national new priority. It takes precedence for the moment over realignment" of the settlements, Miri Eisin, an adviser to Olmert, said Tuesday. "At the moment there will be no withdrawal."
Even without the financial considerations, the plan for unilateral withdrawal from some settlements is dead, other political figures and analysts said. The seizure of Israeli soldiers and the renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip -- from which Israel withdrew last year -- and in southern Lebanon -- from which Israel withdrew in 2000 -- have left the Israeli public with little appetite for additional pullouts.
They always have an excuse (
reasons) ; but the fact is they never keep their agreements any more than Palestinians do. In fact not only did they stop the dismantling of settlements; they even built more. How does that help Israel's security? Answer; it does not.
Why is it that some of us know that Jews continue to expand their settlements while pro-Zionists claim they shut down some or stopped?
Curious.
From USAToday:
Israel OKs expansion of Jewish settlements
BEITAR ILLIT, West Bank (AP) ?- Officials said Sunday that Israel has approved plans to expand four Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a practice the United States has opposed in the past.
The settlements slated for expansion lie within areas that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hopes to incorporate within Israel's final borders. The United States, which opposes settlement activity in the West Bank, has not endorsed Olmert's plan.
I don't know all a person has to do is research to find the truth.
Israelis plan more homes on occupied land
Quote:The construction is planned to link existing Jewish settlements in Jerusalem with each other and with settlements in the West Bank. Saeb Erekat, the head of negotiations for the Palestinians, said the building plans suggested that Israel had no real interest in peace. "Today it is obvious that Israel wants Jerusalem for only some of Jerusalem's people," he said. "I wish Israel would do what majorities of both Palestinians and Israelis want: accept the two-state solution and accept peace."
While Israel says that it supports the creation of a Palestinian state, its building projects - which include walls, fences, bypasses and tunnels as well as settlements - restrict the amount of land that would be available to the new state.
They have used the "security" excuse for decades in order to build more land and extend Israel's borders.
Israeli ?'Civil Administration':
Quote:February 17, 2008 -- More than one-third of the illegal Jewish settlements in the West bank were built on confiscated private Palestinian land that was "temporarily seized by military order" for "security purposes," according to a report by the Civil Administration of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) that is being published for the first time, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Sunday.
The settlements in question, which include Ariel, Kiryat Arba and Efrat, have tens of thousands of illegal Jewish colonial settlers, and many have existed for decades. A security source termed this a "difficult statistic" that is liable to cause trouble for Israel both in Washington and its own courts, Haaretz noted.
In addition to Ariel, Efrat and Kiryat Arba - three of the largest West Bank settlements - the list includes major "ideological" settlements such as Ofra, Beit El, Psagot, Kedumim, Karnei Shomron, Elon Moreh and Shiloh; Jordan Valley settlements such as Gitit and Mechora; and even "quality of life" settlements such as Kfar Ruth, near Modi'in, Meron Rapoport, Haaretz correspondent, wrote.
The Israeli military establishment has consistently refused to publish this information, and a month ago, the "Defense" Ministry told a court that its publication would "damage the state's security and foreign relations."
Peace Now, which discovered the data, said it proves that most of the settlements are illegal even under Israeli law, and termed the attempt to hide the information a "blow to democracy."
International law allows the seizure of occupied territory, but only for military needs. Instead, Israel built many of its colonial settlements via such seizures, in defiance of a 1979 Israeli cabinet decision that forbade using private Palestinian land for settlements.
A legal source said the very fact that so many settlements were built in this way will make it hard for the state to convince the Israeli High Court of Justice that "military necessity" justifies keeping them in existence rather than returning the land to its Palestinian owners, Rapoport added in his report.
According to the IOF Civil Administration data compiled in October 2006, 44 of the 120 West Bank settlements "are based to some extent" on lands seized by military order. A knowledgeable security source said that most of this land was privately owned by Palestinians.
Until the late 1970s, most settlements were built on land seized by military order. In 1979, however, the High Court overturned a seizure order for the land on which Elon Moreh was slated to be built, saying it saw no "security necessity" for the settlement. Following that ruling, Menachem Begin's government decided that all new settlements or expansions of existing ones would be built only on state land, and since then, military seizure orders officially have not been used for this purpose.
However, a Haaretz investigation found that at least 19 of the 44 settlements on the Civil Administration's list were established after 1979, which means they violated this decision. Efrat, for instance, was established in 1983.
A few years ago, the Defense Ministry set up a task force headed by Baruch Spiegel to collect information on how the settlements were established and their current legal status. After Haaretz reported the existence of this database, several organizations, including Peace Now, asked to view the data, but were refused. They consequently went to court, and a month ago, the Defense Ministry told the court that releasing this information might "damage the state's security and foreign relations."
Attorney Michael Sfard, who represents several Palestinians whose property has been taken over by settlers, said the data "proves that systematic land theft for the purpose of establishing settlements was carried out via a fictitious and completely illegal use of the term 'military necessity.' The concealment of this information for all these years shows that the authorities also knew they were committing illegal acts."
In response, the Israel Defense Forces said: "These orders are in force until they are canceled. In some of these settlements, part or all of [the land] was declared 'state land' at the same time, but the seizure orders have not been canceled, either partially or totally." It added that "in general," seizure orders have not been used to build settlements since 1979, but "in the early 1980s, Nahal [an army unit] outposts were still built on the basis of seizure orders, and some later became settlements. There were also isolated cases during those years in which land was seized for roads or buildings for existing settlements."
old europe wrote:Advocate wrote:Israel has rights to live outside of Israel proper.
How so?
OE, if you don't know by now, . . . There is no country called Palestine, and Israelis may live in that territory (formerly part of the British Mandate). Further, Israel took that territory as a prize of war (instigated by the Pals).
However, the Pals should sit down with Israel in good faith and negotiate for their own state with set borders. They have never done this in good faith.
Advocate, What's the matter with you? Really. If you had no legal rights in the US, and the majority government took away your property without any compensation, job, funded your childrens school at much lower rates, and restricted your movemet with fences, check points, and gus, in the US and elsewhere, how would you feel?
Is there any possibility that you might become a suicide bomber? Answer truthfully.
I guess Hez wants to see the destruction of Lebanon.
Middle East: Gunman who killed students previously arrested for Hezbollah ties
Rome, 7 March (AKI) - The Palestinian gunman from East Jerusalem who killed eight Israeli religious seminary students on Thursday, had been previously arrested in Israel for alleged ties with Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah.
Ala Abu Dhein was arrested four months ago by Israeli forces in an inquiry which lasted two months and was accused of having ties with Hezbollah, an unnamed local source in the village of Jabal al-Mukabir told Adnkronos International (AKI).
The sources say Abu Dhein was later released because of a lack of evidence against him. Also on Thursday, Israeli security forces arrested members of Abu Dhein's family and friends.
20-year-old Abu Dhein worked in the seminary as a bus driver and was a resident of Jerusalem and thus held a blue identity card allowing him to work and reside in Israel.
Initially, the Jerusalem attack against the seminary had been claimed by the Galilee Freedom Battalions - the Martyrs of Imad Mughniyeh, reported Hezbollah Television station al-Manar.
Imad Mughniyeh was killed in a bombing in Damascus on 13 February and Hezbollah, Syria and Iran blamed Israel for assassinating him. Hezbollah has vowed to avenge Mughniyeh's murder.
Mughniyeh was the intelligence chief of Hezbollah's shady military wing, the Islamic Resistance.
Meanwhile, Israel raised its terror alert and sealed off the West Bank until Sunday, while the number of checkpoints in Jerusalem has been increased.
If the gunmen was from East Jerusalem why are they sealing off the West Bank in response?
CI, you seem to have a great affection for terrorists. Do you also love al-Qaida?
