Hanaguma

What land has Israel stolen from Hamas or Gaza?

This is true. Israel then earned and paid in blood for their statehood by fending off the combined attack of 5 neighboring countries. And has been doing so ever since. I have to laugh when I hear the common refrain that Israel just has to give up a bit more land. Here is what we are talking about; In UK terms, Israel is just a bit bigger than Yorkshire. In US terms, Israel is just a bit smaller than West Virginia In Europe terms, Israel is half the size of Switzerland Egypt is 50 times the size of Israel Iran is 80 times the size of Israel They don't have a lot of land to give.

I personally would believe him. In his younger days, Netanyahu was a special forces soldier in an elite IDF unit, participated in numerous operations (including hostage rescue) etc. He has "seen the elephant" up close and personal. Not a guy to mess with.

Israel is occupying Gaza? News to me. I thought they left something like 15 years ago. After which the businesses and farms they left behind were quickly looted and destroyed by Gazans. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna9331863

The Israeli government has anounced a war cabinet, with opposition parties joining the government. They are basically suspending all domestic politics until this problem is solved. They are serious about killing every Hamas terrorist, along with everyone who supports them, and ensuring that they never come back. The people of Gaza have been tolerating the cancer in their midst for too long. Now they will have to pay the consequences.

Not really. Genocide would be carpet bombing Gaza from 6 miles up. The Israelis have been amazingly restrained in their response so far. The Israeli Air Force has more than 200 attack aircraft, only a handful are being used. But I have a feeling that will change soon.

Agreed 100%. And when Jing and I agree on something, it is time to buy a lottery ticket. The people in Gaza have been playing footsie with Hamas for a generation. Letting them stay in power, providing soft support, secretly approving their attacks, yet suddenly becoming outraged and innocent victims the second Israel retaliates. They are allowing a malignant cancer to infect their society. Well, now the surgeon has arrived and the operation is going to hurt.

There are, how can I say, levels of support for Hamas in Gaza. First, the Hamas terrorists themselves. Second, their eager supporters who supply them, hide them, etc. Third, those who openly approve of them and make donations. Fourth, those who largely believe in the Hamas philosophy but dont actively support them. Fifth, those who wont object if Hamas wins. Sixth, those who disagree with Hamas and their goals. How many Gazans fit into the first five categories? IMHO there are not a lot of innocent civilians in Gaza.

...and here is the Iranian perspective on the current situation...

Here is a taste of how children are being raised in Gaza;

Tragic. All used as meat shields by Hamas cowards. Big difference in morality. At the music festival, Israeli police put themselves between Hamas and the innocent. In Gaza, Hamas puts the innocent between themselves and the IDF.

I seem to recall a border on the west side with another country though... ...and Gaza also manages to have one of the highest fertility rates in the world, a continually growing population (more than half a million in the past decade), and continuously increasing life expectancy. Pretty crap blockade.

Define "occupation" and "Palestine". Because Israel hasn't occupied Gaza for a long time. These are not people seeking a political settlement to a problem. They have been raised from birth on poisonous propaganda, taught that their enemy (Jews) are less than human, and get paid when their children die in suicide attacks. How do you negotiate with someone whose default position is "you and everyone like you has to die"?

Exactly. Instead, Hamas prefers to shelter in hospitals and schools and mosques. Places where collateral civilian casualties are virtually guaranteed. Then they can cry and mewl about the evil IDF. Ah yes, the evil IDF. WHen is the last time they entered Gaza to murder hundreds of peaceful young people attending a cultural event? Or kidnapped and raped countless women in Gaza?

Not to mention the well known but rarely reported Hamas tactic of setting up shop in schools/ hospitals/ mosques. Something the IDF does not do. Nor does the IDF deliberately rape and murder and kidnap foreign nationals who have the misfortune to be caught in the crossfire.

Trying to be original; 1. Apocalypse Now 2. Full Metal Jacket 3. Lawrence of Arabia Honorable mention to The Godfather 1 and 2, but both have been mentioned repeatedly.

This is the key point. You cannot have a negotiated settlement or a "two state solution" when one of the states involved is only interested in the complete destruction of the other. At best it will be a way to delay the inevitable problem. If Gazans are serious about wanting peace, they would kick out all the Hamas terrorists and terror supporters in their midst. Refuse to be used as human shields and props for Hamas propaganda.

There are also photos of dead female victims from the music festival who somehow lost all their clothing before they died....

Except, of course, for the 20th century. Most muslim countries in the region forced out their Jewish citizens, who as you say had been there for centuries. Nearly one million Jews were expelled from countries from Morocco to Iran. North Africa used to be home to half a million Jews. Today, less than 3,000. There used to be 75,000 Jews in Egypt. Today? Perhaps a hundred.

THIS is exactly correct. In the aftermath of the Israeli war of independence in 1948, the myriad Muslim/Arab countries in the area could have done the right thing and taken in their Palestinian brothers/sisters. Given them citizenship rights, allowed them to rebuild their lives. But that did not happen. Instead they were kept in camps and fed constant false promises of some day being able to return to an Israel empty of Jews. A lot of blame to be had there.

Maybe he means like when FIVE Arab countries decided to attack Israel in 1948, after the state was declared by the UN. This is actually the root cause of the Palestinian refugee crisis today. Prior to the attack, Palestinians living in Jewish areas were encouraged to leave, so as to make it easier for the armies of the five attackers to kill all the Jews. Any Arabs that stayed behind would be presumed to be collaborators. So, the Palestinians fled thinking it was a temporary state of affairs until their allies wiped out the Jews. Then, they (the Palestinians) could move back in and reap the rewards. Things turned out differently though.

True. Yet more theft at the government level.

I wasnt aware that Israel had invaded Gaza. A big help in ending this conflict would be if the Arab/Muslim "brothers" of the Palestinians actually did anything to help them. Seems rather that the Gazans are being used by other, cynical players in the region. Given the current death toll, it is the equivalent on American terms of having more than 20,000 dead. This will get ugly.

Why does the EU have to plan for the refugees? There is plenty of space and money in the surrounding Muslim countries to take them in easily. Egypt the UAE, etc. Not a European problem in the slightest. Hell, they can go live in Iran with their buddies.

Actually, it is called suicide. FAFO. Goodbye Gaza. If you are going to kick a tiger in the ass, you had better have a REAL good plan for dealing with its teeth.