lets just naively hope that one day they'll all get along and laugh about how they used to blow each other to bits
not likely
but any step...however small...i think is a good one
small steps are what made the northern ireland peace process move in the right direction...some of those steps were painful and highly controvertial such as the early release of many IRA members from prison...but they all helped and things seem to be going well
Re: The world's biggest prison just got bigger.
Originally posted by xmarksthespot
Was the Gaza pullout a good thing? Was it a bad thing? Will it lead to a renewal of the peace process?
What has the Gaza pullout achieved other than making the world's biggest prison camp a little bit bigger?
Its none best described as a political ploy; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, was the same man who, as Minister of Agriculture in the late 1970s, did so much to promote the idea to create settlements in Palestinian occupied territory.
Much depends on how the story develops once the last settlers leave Gaza;
Whether those who looked upon settlement in the occupied territories as a biblical duty will be reinforced in their idea by what they consider to be the "betrayal" of Mr Sharon.
The resignation of Mr Sharon's Finance Minister just before the pull-out began signalled the start of a tussle for the leadership of the Likud Party if things were to go bump in the night.
Palestinians are claiming that the withdrawal of the settlers is all due to the pressure exerted by them on Israel.
Mr Sharon, for his part, looks upon withdrawal as a means to reduce the military and logistical burden of protecting settlements that had no strategic value and, surrounded as they were by hostile Palestinian elements, were prone and open to constant harassment.
It would now have the Sharon demand more consessions from Palestineans, while the Palestinians will, in all probability, demand more withdrawals, this time from the West Bank.
xmarksthespot> You ARE aware I hope, that Israel has nuclear weapons as well.
Yes, Gaza-withdrawal was good. No country should be allowed to start to built on occupied territory. The problems with the settlers is that Israel itswelf encouraged fanatics to move out there in the first place.
Frankly - I think most Israelis and Palestinians just want peace and quit to built homes, grow the land, learn and raise their kids. We just hear about the fanatics who have no respect for human life - on both sides of the fence.
But I've always wondered why Israel has been allowed to be the country with most UN resolutions against it.
But I've always wondered why Israel has been allowed to be the country with most UN resolutions against it.
Israel has broken many of the reolutions under duress from the constant attacks during the intifada
where as countries like north korea and iraq broke the resolutions against them cause they thought they'd be smartasses and get away with it
Originally posted by The Omega
xmarksthespot> You ARE aware I hope, that Israel has nuclear weapons as well.
BBC
In 1986, Mordechai Vanunu, who had worked as a technician at the Dimona complex, gave London's Sunday Times newspaper detailed information about Israel's nuclear programme that led observers to declare Israel the world's sixth largest nuclear power.
Before he could reveal more to the media, Vanunu became the victim of a classic "honey trap".
He was lured out of hiding in London by a female Israeli secret agent who persuaded him that she wanted to meet him in Rome. Once there, he was drugged by other Israeli agents and brought home.
Later that year, he was jailed for 18 years after a trial for treason that was held in secret. Viewed as a traitor and a spy by most Israelis, Vanunu remains in prison to this day and has spent most of his sentence in solitary confinement.
Originally posted by jaden101
Israel has broken many of the reolutions under duress from the constant attacks during the intifada
where as countries like north korea and iraq broke the resolutions against them cause they thought they'd be smartasses and get away with it
"Which country alone in the Middle East is in defiance of sixty-nine separate United Nations Security Council Resolutions and has been protected by U.S vetoes? Israel.
Which country alone in the Middle East has nuclear weapons? Israel.
Which country in the Middle East refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and bars international inspection? Israel.
Which country in the Middle East seized sovereign territory of other nations by military force and continues to occupy it in defiance of UN Security Council Resolutions? Israel.
Which country in the Middle East refuses to prosecute its soldiers; soldiers who have acknowledged executing prisoners of war? Israel.
Which country in the Middle East had a top United Nations Diplomat, Count Folke Bernadotte, assassinated in 1948? Israel.
Which country in the Middle East prevents Palestinian refugees from returning to their homeland, in violation of UN Security Council resolution 194? Israel.
Which country in the Middle East bombarded a United Nations refugee compound at Qana, Lebanon in 1996, for 17 minutes, killing 106 civilians, more than half of them children? Israel.
Which country in the Middle East, in spite of repeated demands, refused to allow United Nations war crimes investigators into the Jenin refugee camp to conduct an assessment of deaths and injuries to Palestinian civilians in April of 2002? Israel."
69 all because of duress from an intifada that happened years later... the Israeli Administrations must have precognitive abilities. How many more UNSC resolutions would Israel have had to defy if it did not have sway over the U.S. veto?
your point being?
iraq had 75 UN resolutions imposed on it that it continued to break despite NOT being under any from of provokation such as terrorism...and thats just after 1990...there were another 14 before that
which country invaded its neighbour and had to be expelled using military force...iraq
which country excecuted over half a million people in 10 years....iraq
which country refused to allow weapons inspectors in despite repeated demands from the international community....iraq
which country expelled those inspectors against UN authority....iraq
which country has pursued illegal oil deals depite UN sanctions....iraq
the difference between iraq and israel is the fact that iraq was never under constant threat of military action from its neighbours or from terrorism
as for the initfada...the first intifada began in 1987 and although technically ended in 1991...the violence never ceased between 91 and 2000 when the al aqsa intifada began...
Originally posted by jaden101
your point being?
My point being your stated reason for the Israeli violations of U.N. resolutions is incorrect, or at the very least a gross oversimplification. Besides if the resolutions critical of Israel's actions blocked by the U.S. veto in the Security Council, which in all likelihood would also have been ignored or defied by the Israeli Administrations, were included in the count Israel's would more than equal Iraq's.
yes but my point is that unlike israel...iraq and other countries who constantly flout the will of the UN are doing it simply out of defiance at the UN and the west in general...i dont condone israels constant breaking of resolutions
many of the resolutions that israel broke were in reference to many of the campaigns i mentioned previously