"And is there any bigger know-nothing jerk than White House spokesmonkey Gordon Johnroe, aside from Dana Perino?"
No!!
This has been another one word answer to silly questions.
Posted by goalkeeper at December 30, 2008 11:53 AMgoalkeeper, when has there ever been a credible response from this WH. Just more of what we have listened to for eight years.
Posted by Judith at December 30, 2008 03:44 PMWhy WOULD there be any pressure from the Bush Administration on Israel? Do you want the U.S. to tell Israel that they should just allow 10 rocket attacks on its citizens each and every day? Just suck it up and duck?
I'm amazed that a blog like this would endorse the likes of Hamas. You need to see a replay of the palestinian celebrations in the streets of Gaza City on 9/11? Oh sorry, I imagine you feel the U.S. should have just ignored the murder of 3,000 of its citizens like you want the Israelis to ignore the constant attack on their land.
Posted by Holger Awakens at December 30, 2008 05:09 PMHolger...let's not equate what has been happening in the Holy Land for the last sixty years with the 911 atrocity...although Netanyahoo and other Israeli firsters would prefer Americans to do just that.
All one needs to do is look at what percentage of that land is being occupied (annexed) by Israel and how that percentage has steadily increased over time. There are those in Israel who believe that God gave them all the land and they are not going to settle for less.
While I'm sure there are many Israeli's, perhaps a majority, who oppose the progressive expansion of Israel's borders, they are not in control of policy. The Old Testament thinking of eye for an eye that foments this endless cycle of violence and revenge is a dead end. Violence is the tool of the ignorant and the poorest type of conflict resolution.
As long as the prevailing attitude of Israel's decison makers is that the lives 1000 Arabs are not worth the life of one Israeli, there will be no peace in the MI.
Posted by brisa at December 30, 2008 05:38 PM"I'm amazed that a blog like this would endorse the likes of Hamas."
God, I get sooooo tired of people responding and showing they did not understand the meaning of the original comment.
Yeah, we are all Hamas lovers here. Is that what you were looking for? Jeez!
Posted by Judith at December 30, 2008 05:55 PMHolger Pisses is just another rightist tool who looks ONLY at the actions of the Arabs and never seems to see ANY actions of the Israelis (such as refusing to recognize the elected Hamas gub'mint, the immediate shut down of needed funds, and the ever increasing seige/strangulation of the Gazans over the past year despite the cease fire)
Yep, it's all about Gazan rockets, that's it. Look to the Demonic Arabs! Holger, you're a JAP--Just Another Pinhead.
Posted by euzoius at December 31, 2008 09:49 AMAh, the Bush nazis supporting the Israeli nazis. What a surprise...
The Israelis have been stealing Arab land and Arab water for sixty years now, while the Brits, the French and the Americans have been helping themselves to Arab oil for even longer.
"Do you want the U.S. to tell Israel that they should just allow 10 rocket attacks on its citizens each and every day? "
Ten rocket attacks on its citizens each and every day? Each and every day? Where did you obtain this fascinating piece of information?
Posted by Shirin at January 1, 2009 03:25 PMLet's take a look at what has ensued in the last six months prior to the Iraelis' current violent rampage. Note: The U.N. records all incidents that take place between Israeli forces and Palestinians.
In June Egypt brokered a six-month ceasefire (tandi'eh) between Israel and Hamas. Hamas not only kept the ceasefire, they did a creditable job of reining in other militant groups such as Islamic Jihad, who were not bound by the ceasefire.
In the meantime, Israel repeatedly violated the ceasefire. Here are events that took place during a typical week after the mutually agreed-upon ceasefire went into effect, as reported by Reuters.
June 20, 2008
- Israeli army troops near the border east of the southern Gaza town of Rafah opened fire towards Palestinian farmers working in al-Amoor, according to U.N. sources. No injuries reported.
- Israeli troops east of el-Maghazi camp opened fire towards Palestinian farmers, according to U.N. sources. No injuries reported.
- Israeli marine vessels fired towards Palestinian fishermen west of Beit Lahiya, according U.N. sources. No injuries reported.
June 21
- Israeli marine vessels opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats west of Beit Lahiya, according to U.N. sources. No injuries reported.
- Israeli troops at the border north east of the el-Maghazi camp opened fire towards Palestinian farmers, according to U.N. sources. No injuries reported.
June 23
- Palestinians fired a mortar shell into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli army. No one hurt.
- Israeli troops near the border north-west of Beit Lahiya opened fire at a group of people collecting wood, seriously wounding a 70-year-old man, according to U.N. sources.
June 24
- Islamic Jihad militants fired rockets into southern Israel, the militant group and the Israeli army said. No casualties. The rocket fire followed Israel's killing of two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, an area not covered by the ceasefire.
June 25
- Israeli troops east of Rafah opened fire toward farmers, according U.N. sources. No injuries reported.
- Israeli troops stationed near Khan Younis opened fire towards Palestinian farmers. An 82-year-old farmer was seriously injured, according to U.N. sources.
June 26
- Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group belonging to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction, fired one rocket into southern Israel, the group and the Israeli army said.
(Gosh, no mention of those ten Hamas rockets each and every day. Looks like either Hamas was observing the ceasefire despite Irael's multiple daily violations, or else those ten Hamas rockets each and every day are not worth reporting.)
It is worth noting that during this time the 1.5 million human beings who live in Gaza were imprisoned there, not permitted to leave for any reason, and denied shipments of food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and other essential goods. Israel even barred a number of Fullbright scholars from leaving to pursue their education despite the fact that they had been granted U.S. visas, and despite the objections of the United States government to this action.
On November 4, 2008, Israel violated the ceasefire once again, this time killing six Palestinians. Within a three day period, Israel killed a total of 23 Palestinians, including a significant percentage of children. It was at this point that Hamas rocket fire resumed. Now, I don't have a daily rocket count handy, but I doubt it amounted to "10 rockets each and every day" as one person here has insisted. In fact, as I recall, the attacks were sporadic, and were most likely mainly if not entirely responses to Israeli attacks.
Now, people are fond of yapping about "Israel's right to defend itself". Is it that they do not believe that Palestinians also have a right to defend themselves, or is it that they are incapable of even thinking about Palestinians as human beings at all?
Posted by Shirin at January 1, 2009 04:02 PM"...someone needs to stop Olmert from helping to resuscitate Hamas...instead of seeking international condemnation for Hamas's cease fire violations."
Pardon me?! HAMAS' cease fire violations? Are you saying that Hamas must be condemned for finally reacting to ISRAEL's cease fire violations that began on November 4, and resulted in the deaths of tens of Palestinians?
You know, this is one of the problems. Otherwise reasonable Americans have internalized the Israeli propaganda without realizing it. It never seems to occur to them that the Palestinians - even Hamas - are not the ones breaking the cease fires. And it never seems to occur to them that Palestinians - including Hamas - might just be defending themselves against Israelis, let alone that they have every right in the world to do so.
Posted by Shirin at January 1, 2009 08:16 PM