Yippie Ka Yay M*******!

[Toonces]

What little I've read on the current conflict, it seems that Israel played right into Hamas' hands on this one.  Hamas kidnaps and murders 3 Jewish kids.  Israel responds by rounding up hundreds of Palestinian suspects...Hamas uses it as an excuse to shoot missiles at Israel and provoke Israel into responding over the top and becoming the bad guy....

A quieter response to the initial murders might have been warranted in this case.

[Toonces]

I'm specifically referring to this from the Reuters article:

"The surge in violence along the Gaza border, which is the worst since an eight-day war in 2012 when Tel Aviv was also targeted, followed a chain of events that began with the abduction of three Jewish seminary students in the occupied West Bank on June 12.

Blaming Hamas, which neither confirmed nor denied a role, the Israelis arrested hundreds of its activists in their search for the teenagers who were eventually found dead, as was a Palestinian youth abducted in Jerusalem last Wednesday in a suspected revenge murder.

Palestinians have since launched more than 200 rockets from Gaza, Israel has said.

While threatening an "earthquake" of escalation against Israel, Hamas said it could restore calm if Israel halted the Gaza offensive, once again committed to a 2012 Egyptian-brokered truce and freed prisoners it detained in the West Bank last month."

[Jarhead0331]

Israel has never relied on principles of good diplomacy where it's national security is concerned. When it is threatened with imminent attack, or is attacked outright, it's response must be rapid and overwhelming. It is one small patch of land surrounded by a sea of enemies who want to see her utterly destroyed. In this regard, Israel's security situation is completely unique in the world.  If she hesitates or waivers, all may be lost.

Time and time again the Arabs have proven to the world that they are deceitful, completely unreliable and dedicated to the eradication of all Jews in the state of Israel. They will lie, cheat and murder their way towards this objective.

Historically, Israel had the world's sympathy. But now that memories of the holocaust are fading, it's becoming posh to openly hate Jews again. Supporting Palestine as an oppressed underdog is all the rage. Israel has lost the support of the media, and this I fear may prove a deadlier blow than any attack Hamas could pull off. Why the west lets itself get taken advantage of by terrorists, I will never understand.

[MikeGER]

. Why the west lets itself get taken advantage of by terrorists, I will never understand.

the same reason any other war after 1945 got more or less  'lost' on the homefront
its the ÜberPoliticalCorrectness gone wrong, which had crept into any aspect of day to day life also
you cant call a spade a spade anymore ...well, that my hurt the feelings of the spade being called a spade, Its insane!   

so today the life of a killed enemy or a bystanding supporters from his numerous clan -or child that he abused as a human shield- has finally gotten the same value (or even higher in some media) then that of your  very own service members or citizens

it seems like only way to win a "war" now would be if DAPRA develops a 'area stun bomb' which let a whole quarter fell into a healthy deep sleep like in a Grimm's Fairy Tale , while the 'soldier' stroll in ...defuse any explosives and collect any AK , lay a stuffed toy instead in anybody arms  ...and leave the area before the enemy flooded quarter awakes ... and then those will still complain to the media, about the 'mild headache' one of a million got from the unwanted narcosis!
*29facepalms*

[Jarhead0331]

^it was a rhetorical question. I know the answer.

[TheCommandTent]

Historically, Israel had the world's sympathy. But now that memories of the holocaust are fading, it's becoming posh to openly hate Jews again. Supporting Palestine as an oppressed underdog is all the rage. Israel has lost the support of the media, and this I fear may prove a deadlier blow than any attack Hamas could pull off. Why the west lets itself get taken advantage of by terrorists, I will never understand.

This is a scary reality and I hope it is not carried to its "logical" end.

[Jarhead0331]

Historically, Israel had the world's sympathy. But now that memories of the holocaust are fading, it's becoming posh to openly hate Jews again. Supporting Palestine as an oppressed underdog is all the rage. Israel has lost the support of the media, and this I fear may prove a deadlier blow than any attack Hamas could pull off. Why the west lets itself get taken advantage of by terrorists, I will never understand.

This is a scary reality and I hope it is not carried to its "logical" end.

Me too...Unfortunately, history repeats itself.

[GDS_Starfury]

we're a bit better armed this time around though.

[bayonetbrant]

we're a bit better armed this time around though.

I've seen pics of some of the chicks in the IDF; I'd say you're better legged, too

[GDS_Starfury]

[Tpek]

What little I've read on the current conflict, it seems that Israel played right into Hamas' hands on this one.  Hamas kidnaps and murders 3 Jewish kids.  Israel responds by rounding up hundreds of Palestinian suspects...Hamas uses it as an excuse to shoot missiles at Israel and provoke Israel into responding over the top and becoming the bad guy....

A quieter response to the initial murders might have been warranted in this case.

Those suspects were convicted terrorists previously released in exchange for the kidnapped Gilad Shalit, who have broken the terms of their release (returned to terrorism).
And they began launching rocket barrages straight away at our cities.
Plus the cities in the south have been undergoing these barrages for the past straight ~14 years now.

As for the number of rockets, they've long passed 200.

And we can't really do much.
There second we actually try to do anything real, good ol' uncle Obama will quickly call in to say we're making too much of a ruckus and we should just sit down quietly. :P

[Gusington]

There are so many things I want to type here in a Jewish rage but none are really productive or add.to the conversation.

[Jack Nastyface]

FWIW...as an amateur historian (I quit my M.A. and Ph.D. route when a girl got in the way) I often pride myself in being able to see more than one side to an argument.  With regards to the on-going struggles between the Palestinians and the Israelis, I confess failure.  If the Palestinians could put even 1/10th of the energy they spend on hatred into building up their communities, educating their children, encouraging imagination instead of hatred, investing in legitimate businesses and economic growth, and rooting out religious extremism, they could be successful, prosperous and peaceful.  I simply cannot fathom a mindset that has so thoroughly abandoned itself to hatred and spite.
The ironic thing about this is that very often, the Palestinians that I have meet in the "diaspora" are educated, congenial and kind.  Of course, that's why I've met them in N. America...because they were obviously sensible enough to get the f**k out of Dodge.


Stay safe Tpek...

[GDS_Starfury]

what I think is sad is that pre arafat they had a free trade zone, jobs and infrastructure. 

[Toonces]

What little I've read on the current conflict, it seems that Israel played right into Hamas' hands on this one.  Hamas kidnaps and murders 3 Jewish kids.  Israel responds by rounding up hundreds of Palestinian suspects...Hamas uses it as an excuse to shoot missiles at Israel and provoke Israel into responding over the top and becoming the bad guy....

A quieter response to the initial murders might have been warranted in this case.

Those suspects were convicted terrorists previously released in exchange for the kidnapped Gilad Shalit, who have broken the terms of their release (returned to terrorism).
And they began launching rocket barrages straight away at our cities.
Plus the cities in the south have been undergoing these barrages for the past straight ~14 years now.

Well, as you can see that information wasn't in the Reuters article. 

Again, I think that this is exactly how Hamas wanted it to play out. 

Having said that, I feel that Israel is in a no-win situation.  I can't explain it either...why the community at large always paints Israel as the bad guys.  FWIW, I'm glad that Israel is willing to say f' you to the world and do what it has to do when it has to do it. 

As to why the Arab world at large won't just get on with things and, instead put all of this energy into something more productive than fighting with Israel...religion pure and simple.  It really is hard to wrap your head around...or at least it is for me.