Usually, I avoid writing on hostilities involving Israel. The issues are complex, and I prefer to leave it to others better qualified to comment.
I visited the region as a back-packer during the early 80s. At the time, the Sinai peninsula was being handed back to Egypt as a result of the peace treaty with that country. The place was relaxed by today's standards. The markets in Jerusalem were packed with tourists, and it was easy to travel round the country. I spent several weeks there before crossing the newly opened boarder on route to Cairo.
Things have certainly gone backwards since then. I'm told that few tourists go there anymore. I can only imagine what it would be like living under the constant threat of suicide bombers.
I'm not going to go into the rights and wrongs of what is happening there at the moment, apart from acknowledging that Israel was provoked. I'll just make the following observation.
Since first becoming aware of the Middle East conflict through news reports of the 1967 war, I've observed Israel's policy of serious retribution in response to aggression. When attacked, they hit back with far greater ferocity. It's a constant theme of the conflict, and it's done Israel absolutely no good whatsoever. It's a public relations disaster; it's caused the other side to take more desperate measures to retaliate, and be susceptible to the influence of extremists.
The Israelis have not learnt anything from history. They can bomb the West Bank and Lebanon into oblivion but it won't have the desired effect. The only certainty this action will have is to create even more angry people who'll perform even more outrageous acts against them (and perhaps us) in the years to come.
Israel is a victim of its own need to appear strong against the 'Arab foe'. As an international community, we firstly need to remove the root cause of conflict in the 21st century - that is the non state militias. Hamas and Hezbollah operate militias that have been attacking Israel with rockets throughout an agreed cease fire made with the Governments of Lebanon and Palestine. These militias are not accountable or controled by the Government. No peace process will succeed until these militas are disbanded and disarmed. Then,and only then, we can get back to the states negotiating with states!
The trouble is, that due to the excesses of the Hun and the Japs in the last war, the West has lost the ability to wage an effective war. Hand wringing over every dead soldier, parents and servicemen questioning the governments "legal" right to go to war, etc. It's a symbol of decay, and lack of resolution that the Arab world, with it's tribes, militias and governments that support it all, take, quite rightly as weakness. In war you kill, and kill again, until the reason for killing is finished. Israel is right to target civilians, because, a)that's the nature of war, and b)there are no friendly civilians.
They will win when they round up the males and send them off to the gulag. That's what Hitler(ironically), and Stalin, and the British(South Africa), and the French(Algeria) would have done once upon a time.
Seems we can't wage wars anymore, we live behind the lies and deceit of smart bombs, and other such rubbish.
We need to fight or be consumed, lots of Arabs need to die, so we can win, that's the humour of it.
quote " Usually, I avoid writing on hostilities involving Israel. The issues are complex, and I prefer to leave it to others better qualified to comment."
In oyther words, you are too worried about being called an "anti semite " Why ? Scxrew Irael and the neocons.
And to Ian I say, the "Hun" he refers too was a name given to the Germans in WW1 as a propaganda tool to tell lies about German brutality. Ironically, the Eurpoean "jews" are made up of Hunnish Turlic stock, among others!
As we've recently seen, they can be brutal!
quote "ince first becoming aware of the Middle East conflict through news reports of the 1967 war, I've observed Israel's policy of serious retribution in response to aggression. When attacked, they hit back with far greater ferocity."
Hey! Israel was formed via terroism! Theey stole the land of others!
Jews in the diaspora called neocons persecute othe nations through finance, and if necessary, Bombs!
It's not just Israel as a victim of an attack, they are through various means the aggressors
The Hun, Bosche, or whatever you want to call them were brutal. They have a history of brutallity, love of central control, and teutonic cruelty, that stood out, even in brutal times. They didn't all suddenly decide to become complete swine in 1939, or support the Nazis through to the bitter end, as a aberation, really.
Israel, was born of a need to take a bit of useless land, which the Arabs had failed to do anything with for centuries(no surprise there then). There terrorist activty was against the British, which beggars believe really, when you consider that their wouldn't be any jews if it wasn't for us, but there you go.
Palestine was also designated as being part of what is now Jordan, by the British. Funny how there's no uprising in Jordan. Funny how the Arabs in their self righteous 15th Century mindset, ignore Arab prejudice to the Palestinians. But then you know how it is, some ignorant Mullah, waddling his way to the Mosque, to preach his spiteful relgious twaddle, while the sheep stick their arses in the air to praise Allah; passing the most obscene poverty and deprivation, the like of which hasn't been seen in a Western democracy for 200 years, but what's really important is that you don't see a woman in a bikini, or someone half a world away drew a cartoon.
Peasants all.
Ian, that's is all nonsense. You've been watching too much TV. Too call the German brutal is to generalise. Bad form Ol' fruit!