Thank you board!

[tooblue]

Who needs Tex when we have tooblue? Your original comment was about "Irael" and a "Palestinian state". Now you are narrowing your discussion to Hamas (is anyone here defending Hamas or Islamic Radicalism?). Nice dodge.

I am responding to your dodge. You failed to even adequately contend with my point and chose instead to address the symptoms and not the cause. And the cause -- Hamas and Islamic radicalism -- is the root of the problem. Stop dodging the issue and contend with the reality that Israel has recognized the Palestinian state while Hamas refuses to recognize Israel, does not observe treaties and espouses the goal of complete annihilation of a Jewish state.

[myboynoah]

Do you remember the last time you updated the suicide bomb attack news?

There has been NO Hamas backed suicide bomb attacks since they took the office. And the home made rockets casualty totals have been less than the car crash fatalities registered during a single holiday weekend on Israel's roads,while just the current war has left over 531 Palestinians killed and some 2,750 others wounded so far (day10) .

So, are you suggesting that Hamas has no control over the rockets flying over the border? Or that they couldn't put an end to it?

I don't understand all this concern for proportionality. Iran, or any other nation, would never sit by and allow its border be violated in such a way.

[TripletDaddy]

I don't understand all this concern for proportionality. Iran, or any other nation, would never sit by and allow its border be violated in such a way.

I was thinking the same thing.

If you launch a rocket into our backyard, we will destroy you. So don't launch rockets into our backyard.

[creekster]

I was thinking the same thing.

If you launch a rocket into our backyard, we will destroy you. So don't launch rockets into our backyard.

I was impressed with the notion that deaths from hostile rockets are roughly equivalent to deaths from auto accidents. You know, you dirve and sometimes you have an accidcent. You live in Israel and sometimes Hamas launches rockets. This is just a necessary component of modern life. What's the big deal of a few rockets between neighbors?

[Coach McGuirk]

And the home made rockets casualty totals have been less than the car crash fatalities registered during a single holiday weekend on Israel's roads.

Oh, Is that all? That is okay then.

[RobinFinderson]

So, are you suggesting that Hamas has no control over the rockets flying over the border? Or that they couldn't put an end to it?

I don't understand all this concern for proportionality. Iran, or any other nation, would never sit by and allow its border be violated in such a way.

Proportionality is important if you are seeking eventual peace.

Does Hamas have control over the rockets? I don't know, but I would not be surprised if they didn't. No one has a more invested interest in recognizing the legitimacy of a Palestinian governance than Israel.

[TripletDaddy]

I was impressed with the notion that deaths from hostile rockets are roughly equivalent to deaths from auto accidents. You know, you dirve and sometimes you have an accidcent. You live in Israel and sometimes Hamas launches rockets. This is just a necessary component of modern life. What's the big deal of a few rockets between neighbors?

That reminds me of a story....

An Orthodox Jew walks up to a Hamas militant in a bar and says, "is that a rocket in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

The Hamas militant says, "actually, it is a rocket."

Everyone dies.

[TripletDaddy]

Proportionality is important if you are seeking eventual peace.

Does Hamas have control over the rockets? I don't know, but I would not be surprised if they didn't. No one has a more invested interest in recognizing the legitimacy of a Palestinian governance than Israel.

There will be no peace between those two because their differences are ultimately religious, not geographic. The notion that Jews and Muslims will get along in the Middle East is pretty laughable.

If the Palestinians were given a legal state, then all the attention and controversy would shift to the control over Jersusalem. Kinda sucks when 3 major world religions find one small patch of land to be so historically significant.

This is probably one of the main reasons Israel really will never recant in Gaza. If Israel totally concedes a Palistianian state, then there is nothing else left to fight for BUT Jersusalem. Why not keep the mud outside the house for as long as possible?

[RobinFinderson]

One problem with these recent incursions is that they cast aspersions on Israel's intentions with the unilateral withdrawal of settlers from Gaza. Was that done as an effort toward peace? Or was it simply a matter of removing Jews in preparation for the military to roll through?

[RobinFinderson]

This is probably one of the main reasons Israel really will never recant in Gaza. If Israel totally concedes a Palistianian state, then there is nothing else left to fight for BUT Jersusalem. Why not keep the mud outside the house for as long as possible?

The ancient city needs to be set aside as an international monument policed by the UN with visitation rights to each of the respective sets of believers (and tourists too) at different times of the year.

Of course in the long term it will eventually become the property of the Mormons. How else will a Mormon temple be built in the ancient city?

[TripletDaddy]

The ancient city needs to be set aside as an international monument policed by the UN with visitation rights to each of the respective sets of believers (and tourists too) at different times of the year.

Of course in the long term it will eventually become the property of the Mormons. How else will a Mormon temple be built in the ancient city?

As long as we LDS can travel through Jerusalem freely and purchase limitless Hebrew rings, leather sandals with toe strap, and Pearl of Great Price facsimiles on banana paper, I am fine.

[Coach McGuirk]

The ancient city needs to be set aside as an international monument policed by the UN with visitation rights to each of the respective sets of believers (and tourists too) at different times of the year.

Of course in the long term it will eventually become the property of the Mormons. How else will a Mormon temple be built in the ancient city?

The problem is the end game of the Fundi-Muslims. It isn't to have Gaza or a UN controlled Jerusalem. What is the end game? Everything else is just a move of a chess piece.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I am responding to your dodge. You failed to even adequately contend with my point and chose instead to address the symptoms and not the cause. And the cause -- Hamas and Islamic radicalism -- is the root of the problem. Stop dodging the issue and contend with the reality that Israel has recognized the Palestinian state while Hamas refuses to recognize Israel, does not observe treaties and espouses the goal of complete annihilation of a Jewish state.

Israel has not recognized a Palestinian state. Gaza is a small fraction of the occupied territories. Withdrawal from Gaza does not equal recognition of a Palestinian state. Why bother discussing it if you can't even begin to get the facts straight?

[cougjunkie]

Why not drop an A-bomb on the whole damn middle east?

[creekster]

Why not drop an A-bomb on the whole damn middle east?

We need the oil.