Hanaguma

This seems clear and concise, thanks for taking the time! For me, Royal Bank has a $50,000 limit per day so I can do it over 2 days.

They are classic examples of what I call "yabbuts". When confronted with uncomfortable truth, they always answer, "yeah, but...." and try to deflect away.

They could always come through via Egypt though, right?

Nice straw man. Seems to be a trend here. Don't presume to tell me what I think. That is a shallow and immature way to discuss things. Right up there with the faux rephrasing by constantly repeating, "so what you're saying is......" and then not saying what I am saying. I think journalism as an unbiased source of information is largely gone. And journalists who go into conflict zones freely take the risk to their health that such a decision entails. Embedded with a military, freelancing, doesn't matter.

Exactly. People are bleating on and on about "oh how could Israel bomb the vans when they were MARKED AS AID VANS?" and making it look deliberate. Pointing out that Hamas has a well documented habit of using aid and civilian vehicles to transport weapons and terrorists is perfectly valid as a way to possible explain what happened. The insinuation that the Israelis target innocent aid workers for no other reason than sadism is utter nonsense.

If they actually wanted to stop a humanitarian crisis, they would put pressure on Hamas to surrender and release their hostages. These kind of pinprick 'aid' missions do little but prolong the agony for the people of Gaza. Especially when a lion's share of the aid will wind up with Hamas, as it always does. But they DO provide wonderful photo opportunites and the delicious ability to do some heavy duty virtue signalling...

Again... the markings of the vehicles doesn't matter. Neither do the protestations of the aid workers. UNRWA aid workers have been 'aiding' Hamas for decades. Hamas has used disguised vehicles for decades as well. It is possible that this was a mistake based on faulty intelligence. But still doesn't mean that the aid workers were, shall we say, less than cautious, to go swanning around a war zone.

That's funny. Unbiased news died with the advent of the infobahn.

This is idiocy. Does Al Jazeera think that Hamas travel around in cars with big Hamas flags on them? Or....perhaps.... do they try to disguise themselves, or travel in vehicles NOT officially designated at beloning to Hamas Transport Inc.

The IDF is by no means perfect. But they do go out of their way, even at the cost of their own soldiers' lives, to minimize civilian casualties. That is indisputable. A six month ground campaign in a densely populated area that results in so few civilian deaths is impressive. Particularly when alternatives, which put no IDF member's life at risk, are available.

Interesting. Could you point me to the concurrent article where the same prominent scholars declare that Iran arming Hamas also breaches international law? I'll be waiting.

The party using human shields is committing a war crime. The attacker needs to take precautions to minimize casualties, which is what Israel does. The tricky part comes when the so-called 'human shields' are acting voluntarily. Do they then lose their protected status as civilians and become de facto combatants?

Meaning you are putting words in my mouth, and arguing against something I did not say.

Nice straw man you have there. Shame if something were to happen to it....

I agree. It SHOULD be a turning point. It should make idealistic idiots stay the hell OUT of a war zone. And be willing to face danger if they choose to enter one.

Nah, he was right. A "symmetrical" war implies the classic clash of armies on a battlefield. Think Germay vs the Soviet Union duking it out in WW2, or Wellington vs. Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. He is saying that Hamas is not capable of fighting a military war against the IDF, which is true. However, choosing "asymmetrical" war means running a partisan style campaign, hiding amongst civilians, etc. Which also has the effect of giving up any traditional "Geneva Convention" style protections as members of a recognized military organization. Also makes you responsible for anything that happens to civilians in the areas where you operate.

The real tragedy is that, at 70 years old, RFK Jr is the "spring chicken" of the election... he at least attempts to speak for the traditional Democratic voter- the working man/woman. They have been abandoned by the party now in an attempt to recreate the 'Obama coalition' of far left, ethnic minorities, and suburban women.

Maybe the so-called 'aid workers' need to stay the hell out of a war zone. Can anyone tell me how much Hamas has done "to protect civilians"? It seems the blame is very one sided.

Please, enough of the hysterical references to genocide and holocaust. Neither of those are happening here. Even using the bs numbers issued by Hamas, something like 20,000 civilians have been killed. In 6 months. It is an amazing accomplishment that the IDF has kept casualties so low while fighting a terrorist occupation in a congested area. Don't forget that civilian casualties would be ZERO if Hamas surrendered and released their hostages. Zero.

Hamas has a storied history of hiding behind civilian labels and charities. You know, like digging tunnels and bunkers underneath hospitals, using schools for weapons storage, using ambulances to transport terrorists, firing missiles from mosques, etc. So no surprise that the Israelis might have not simply taken them at their word about this particular vehicle.

No, I expect them to die. OR perhaps fight according to generally accepted standards of combat. But when they choose to not follow those standards, and instead deliberately put civilians in harms' way, then the fault is theirs. From the beginning of the conflict, when Hamas made the conscous decision to target innocent civilians in Israel (rather than the Israeli military), they have shown their contempt for any decent moral standards. So now, they reap what they have sown.

...and any casualties caused by Hamas hiding among civilians is 100% the fault of Hamas, NOT the IDF. If Israel "didnt care who they eliminate", the casualty figures for the war would be astronomical. Not the very low numbers we have now, even if we are to believe Hamas' propaganda. 30,000 deaths in six months, including Hamas fighters, is a remarkable achievement by the IDF and worthy of praise.

Kinda curious why nobody is asking HAMAS for a cease fire... What a maroon, the guy protesting the 'occupation' of Gaza. It hasn't been occupied for more than 15 years, except by Hamas and other terrorists.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. When you go swanning about a WAR ZONE, there is always the chance that you will be killed. It is the height of stupidity to try and do humanitarian assistance while the conflict is ongoing, especially when one side of the conflict specializes in hiding in civilian areas and disguising themselves as 'innocent' civilians. Let Israel finish the needed job of extinguishing Hamas and then you can deliver all the aid you want. Until then, stay out of it. Not to mention, the odds of the aid going to innocent victims is remarkably low, if history is anything to go by. Hamas is notorioius for simply stealing any aid that has gone into Gaza for the past 15 years. Why should now be any different?

But, Biden doesn't need the legislation to pass in order to close the border. He has the authourity to do so by himself. As one other poster quoted him, "pass the bill and I will close the border". You can do one without the other. Hell, Texas TRIED to close the border and the efforts were sabotaged by the federal government.