What is really going on in Palestine

I hope this bring the same level of debate as the Chima thread.

Personally, i think Israel are guilty of war crimes and should face these crimes. Obama is a pathetic weak leader that is scared to oppose Israel.

Some very positive boycotts going on in the UK. Bradford, Manchester, Glasgow, London, Nottingham. Not heard much opposition from the states…

Ferdy

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As for the reporting is been atrocious. The BBC have really gone down in my estimations, as for Fox news I think Russell Brand sums it up quite well:

When Iraq invaded Kuwait they were all keen on getting an intervention through but now… I really can’t understand how a little country like the Zionist Pirate State can control all the world. Not to mention how much money the American government is giving them from it’s tax payers . Also I believe that this is a set up so people will forget what’s happening is Syria to allow bashar and his dogs to continue killing people without being bothered .

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I don’t think Israel are controlling all the world and it seems highly unlikely that what Israel are currently doing in Gaza has anything to do with distracting us from the events in Syria.

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http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://memecrunch.com/meme/3GJG6/i-just-came-here-to-read-the-comments/image.png%3Fw%3D420%26c%3D1&imgrefurl=http://memecrunch.com/meme/3GJG6/i-just-came-here-to-read-the-comments&h=315&w=420&tbnid=dEkz0Nrvm-QHkM:&zoom=1&tbnh=95&tbnw=126&usg=__UFrWE4MZqt1fdv9z9zbQv082T5s=&docid=1fsOUUGGjxoUNM&sa=X&ei=bs3eU43xNYiA4gSd6oC4AQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAQ&dur=603

Get comfortable, it’s gonna take while :wink:

Hamas is an armed terrorist organisation dedicated to the complete destruction of Israel. To describe a military operation against them as “genocide” (as in one of the later posts on this thread) seems pretty grotesque to me.

BTW just for the record: I don’t by any means endorse everything done at the tactical level by the Israelis - I have written elsewhere on the forum that I question whether the IDF could and should use greater restraint. (The real problem with this debate, in my opinion, is that the legitimate concerns for Palestinian civilians is often hijacked by people who actually sympathise with Hamas and its aims - that is, by bigots and anti Semites who hate all Israelis on principle, and would dearly love to kill them.)

Israel now teaching Arabic from grade one to foster better relations.

Too much emotion, too much generalization in this series of monologues…
Quite sad, actually… :frowning:

When I hear of the “genocide” in Gaza, what I normally like to ask is what kind of milder operation the critics could suggest? What it often comes down to is that Israel should just tolerate any amount of rocket launches and once it can’t, then finally cease to exist.

But who knows, maybe this time there will be a better answer?

When not, this quote by Golda Meir often comes to my mind on this matter: “We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”

I’ve said this before in another “similar” thread that eventually got deleted but I can’t help reiterating my point there.
l can’t, for the life of me, understand why some people insist on coming to a language-learning forum and trying to turn it into yet another subpar pseudo-political ranting space in which the same old, tired things are said about the same off-topic (for this forum) subject matters and where most people seem intent on just advancing their pet agendas without listening to what others have to say and without any attempt whatsoever at coming up with nuanced or reflexive stances. And that from some members of both “sides”.
In my opinion, this kind of fake discussion is the predominant kind of conversation in the net. Is there really a need to re-state the same ideas in yet another forum? And in one whose purpose is quite different.

When I read this kind of threads, I can’t help remembering what good old G. Orwell wrote so many years ago:

I am happy to hear your opinion, although I found it rather one-sided in itself. This thread is obviously not about language (although my post is and arguably politics and language are intertwined) and this is an “open” forum according to the owners.

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I’m not saying you’re not allowed to do so or asking you to stop. I just explain my opinion and my reaction to this kind of threads. The problem, in my view, is not that opinions are one-sided (they’re meant to be and mine is too, of course) but that they’re agenda-driven (either liberal or conservative) and are repetitive and there’s no attempt at dialogue.
It is the combination of:

  • unoriginality, predictability, repetition of the same pattern of “debate” as in most of the net
  • lack of dialogue
  • maximalism
  • agenda-driven (“nationalist” ideas as Orwell says)
  • being off-topic [edit: I forgot this part]
    that I object to.

Of course, I’m not saying that all opinions expressed in this thread are like that but the original post and the general tone seems to me to be very much so.

What does that mean, for you ?

“Hamas is an armed terrorist organisation dedicated to the complete destruction of Israel.” True.
But don’t you think that the Isreali Government is ALSO an armed terrorist (terrorist, because they ignore the international law) organisation dedicated to the complete destruction of Palestine ?
The whole history of this government’s actions (from the Ha’apala to today’s colonization, white phosphorous bombs and grenades, collateral damages consisting of children killed by the army,… ) seems to prove it’s not better than Hamas.

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This is an old thread. I really don’t want to waste valuable learning-time arguing about politics anymore - so this will be my last post on this topic.

Let me say again: I understand that many people are pissed off with some of the actions of the Israeli government/military. And I understand that - in some cases at least - this is motivated by a legitimate concern for Palestinian civilians. And let me also say again that I myself do not indorse or defend all Israeli actions (especially regarding their tactics in built up areas, choice of munitions, etc.)

Nevertheless I find it utterly grotesque to liken a democratic and tolerant country to an openly anti-Semitic Islamist terrorist organisation!

One is tempted to say: if Israel wanted to destroy Palestine (or Palestinians) why are they still there?

There are many many Christian Palestinians who have peacefully lived within Israel during the last 5 or 6 decades. If violent Islamists gained control over the whole territory what would life be like for Christians, I wonder? (Never mind about JEWS…)

But as I say, I don’t want to talk about politics anymore. I genuinely wish peace to all - Arab and Jew alike :wink:

The kind of milder operations that Israel could undertake is what Hamas and the rest of the world community (except from US and some tropical islands) has been calling out for for decades now; abide by international law.

The onus to stop this conflict is on the aggressor and constant violator of the law. The only party who has the means to solve it diplomatically but has repeatedly refused to do so throughout history.

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not sure, you?

I see this action as a classic example of political manipulation. Nothing more, nothing less.
If learning a language was enough to understand another people, that’d be great, but I don’t think that’s the case.
But if families exchanges are planned in this program, by all means this is a good idea !

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