Israel cuts off chlorine to purify Palestinian water

What a mess. Both sides saying that the other side is in the wrong.
It just doesn't seem right to be punishing people that don't have anything to do with the conflicts.

Here is a video that Bocephalus posted somewhere else. I found it very disturbing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01hqVzViFTw

@ Cynthia T. [Picasso]
What a mess. Both sides saying that the other side is in the wrong.
It just doesn't seem right to be punishing people that don't have anything to do with the conflicts.

Here is a video that Bocephalus posted somewhere else. I found it very disturbing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01hqVzViFTw

Punishing people who don't have anything to do with the conflicts is, quite simply, a war crime.

Israel has lost any moral standing they may ever have had as well as any claim they would like to make on the sympathies of the world.

@ Cynthia T. [Picasso]
What a mess. Both sides saying that the other side is in the wrong.
It just doesn't seem right to be punishing people that don't have anything to do with the conflicts.

Here is a video that Bocephalus posted somewhere else. I found it very disturbing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01hqVzViFTw

That video is very disturbing. No one but a complete nut could claim that that sort of thing is "justified."

The Israelis have been oppressing their captive population for four decades. The Palestinians did not begin to fight back until 1987, after twenty years of brutal and racists oppression.

Those who say that all the Palestinians have to do to have peace is lay down their arms are liars. They have already tried that and got their faces ground into the dirt for their trouble. The only language Israel understands is violence. They have been the aggressors in most of the wars in the region including the 1967 sneak attack that led to their stealing the occupied territories.

Unless Israel is prepared to use genocide the Palestinians are not going anywhere. They can out last the Israeli invaders just as they out lasted the Crusader invaders. Their population is growing, despite Israeli oppression, while that of Israel is not keeping pace.

Time is not on Israel's side. They cannot have peace until they give the Palestinians justice.

Good article!
We must not overlook the role that extremists play in keeping society from becoming self-satisfied. They are, if sound, the spearheads of progress.Some day wars will no longer exist, hopefully.

@ Knight Shield
Good article!
We must not overlook the role that extremists play in keeping society from becoming self-satisfied. They are, if sound, the spearheads of progress.Some day wars will no longer exist, hopefully.

Thank you.

That long hoped for day will arrive sooner if we stop rewarding aggression and hold all nations to the same standards. Israel is committing war crimes by the very standards they agreed to honor when they signed the Geneva Conventions.

One of the main reasons that they are losing the war for the hearts and minds of the world is that they are lowering themselves to the same level as the terrorist and for a sovereign nation with a democratically elected government that is unacceptable.

With the two factions here on DJ tossing out Op/Ed's and posts in our own little tit for tat action, here is the UN Secretary-General ban Ki-moon's statement from yesterday on the recent activities:

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the loss of civilian life in Southern Israel and Gaza, and at the escalation of violence that has taken place today.

The Secretary-General condemns rocket fire against Israel by Hamas, which intensified today and killed an Israeli civilian in Sederot. He calls on Hamas and other militant groups to cease such acts of terrorism.

The Secretary-General also condemns the killing of four Palestinian children, including an infant, in Gaza in IDF strikes. He calls on Israel to exercise maximum restraint and ensure respect for international humanitarian law so as not to endanger civilians.

These events underscore the urgent need for a calming of violence, and must not be allowed to deter the continuation of the political process.

It would seem that both sides are perpetrating violence on one another. I think we should all stop sniping and start working towards stopping the God awful violence, and subsequent injuries and deaths being inflicted upon both Israeli's and Palestinian's instead of smugly patting ourselves on the back with each verbal salvo being posted here.

I would also like to add that I find it extremely interesting that the author of this post on Israeli denying chlorine deliveries into Gaza, would choose to pictorally jazz up his article (or shall we say manipulate you) with pictures of children injured in bomb attacks.

Anyone who must hold their injured or dead child - their innocent child- in their arms because of someone elses HATE is someone deserving of our tears.

Who is RIGHT? Who is WRONG? This is when I ask our own people how WE ARE EVER the BAD GUYS when we step up and try to help these citizens to right this type of WRONG in some way?

To cut off chlorine to its people - regular everyday people - so they cannot have healthy water in an attempt to promote disease and infection is biological warfare against INNOCENT CHILDREN!

@ Carolyn E. Price (gohomelaker)
With the two factions here on DJ tossing out Op/Ed's and posts in our own little tit for tat action, here is the UN Secretary-General ban Ki-moon's statement from yesterday on the recent activities: It would seem that both sides are perpetrating violence on one another. I think we should all stop sniping and start working towards stopping the God awful violence, and subsequent injuries and deaths being inflicted upon both Israeli's and Palestinian's instead of smugly patting ourselves on the back with each verbal salvo being posted here.

I would also like to add that I find it extremely interesting that the author of this post on Israeli denying chlorine deliveries into Gaza, would choose to pictorally jazz up his article (or shall we say manipulate you) with pictures of children injured in bomb attacks.

There is no "both sides" involved. Hamas is an unelected terrorist organization while Israel is a democratically elected government. The crimes of Hamas cannot be blamed on the powerless civilians in Gaza but the crimes of Israel can be blamed on the Israeli electorate making them responsible for all crimes committed.

In nine months of rocket fire Hamas has managed to kill one single civilian and while the death of even one innocent person is a tragedy in the same period Israel has killed scores of innocent civilians and wounded many more, including the children shown in this article.

And yet we hear no sympathy for the suffering people of Gaza, just an attempt to blur the lines and make it seem as though "both sides are perpetrating violence on one another." There are no "both sides." The civilians of of Israel are active participants with their government in committing a war crime as defined by international law while the civilians of Gaza are victims of both Israel and Hamas.

The worst thing from the point of view of those who wish to see human rights and justice in the region, as opposed those who only wish to see Israel triumphant, is that these policies are backfiring. An editorial in today's Detroit News sums up the failures of this policy:

It empowered Hamas, who stood in defiance of mighty Israel, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the United States, for they are now perceived as the savior of the oppressed people of Gaza.

• It demonstrated to the disfranchised Arab/Muslim people, especially those in Egypt, the complicity of its government with Israel against their Palestinians.

• It killed any possibility for genuine negotiation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority by rendering the Palestinian authority useless.

Most damming of all is what they say next:

What we have seen in Gaza is a microcosm of the desperation they have endured over the years. When it comes to Gaza, Israel has mastered the art of oppression.

By siding with the Israelis the United States destroys any chance we have of fostering a stable Middle East and our attempts to portray ourselves as champions of human rights are reduced to a tawdry joke.

For over half a century Israel's first, and in many cases only, answer to any question involving its neighbors or the people it has dispossessed has been violence and oppression and yet they still have not bullied their way to peace. It is time to try a different approach and treat others as they would wish to be treated themselves. This is the one and only road to a just and lasting peace.

@ Nikki W (karateblossom)
Anyone who must hold their injured or dead child - their innocent child- in their arms because of someone elses HATE is someone deserving of our tears.

Who is RIGHT? Who is WRONG? This is when I ask our own people how WE ARE EVER the BAD GUYS when we step up and try to help these citizens to right this type of WRONG in some way?

To cut off chlorine to its people - regular everyday people - so they cannot have healthy water in an attempt to promote disease and infection is biological warfare against INNOCENT CHILDREN!

Very well said!

All so very disturbing.

Very disturbing that video posted by Picasso. I don't know how Israel can justify this by denying the basic necessities for these poor children and family.

@ Chris V. (cgull)
Very disturbing that video posted by Picasso. I don't know how Israel can justify this by denying the basic necessities for these poor children and family.

They say that one sure sign of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The Israelis have been trying oppression as a way of control their captive population for four decades and it has continually failed. Perhaps it is time they give peace and justice a chance.

@ Chris V. (cgull)
Very disturbing that video posted by Picasso. I don't know how Israel can justify this by denying the basic necessities for these poor children and family.

I saw the video posted on another article by Bocephalus.

It is very disturbing. War is HELL and especially for those who are the innocent ones and the fighting is going on in their homeland.

My heart goes out to these children who will never feel safe or know what a normal life is.

@ Cynthia T. [Picasso]
I saw the video posted on another article by Bocephalus.

It is very disturbing. War is HELL and especially for those who are the innocent ones and the fighting is going on in their homeland.

My heart goes out to these children who will never feel safe or know what a normal life is.

When so many good and decent people, such as those who have posted here, are revolted by a policy perhaps it is time that those guilty of that policy rethink their tactics.

The famous First Century scholar Rabbi Hillel, was once asked to explain the whole Torah while his listener stood on one foot. He said "What you yourself hate, don't do to your neighbor. This is the whole law; the rest is commentary. Go and study."

Perhaps it is time that the people of Israel go and study new ways to live in peace with their neighbors.

I would urge anyone who looks at this report to go to this link that Lensman provided and read it.

It is disturbing and I know from a contact that I have how terrible it is for those who are Arabs in Israel.

Here is in part of something that is said by an Arab Christian pastor in Jerusalem,

"that the people in Israel are losing hope in life. Seeing people bleed every day, and seeing a person one day and gone the next because of violence has made me appreciate life."

This just in:

At least 11 Palestinians were killed and one Israeli was wounded on Thursday as Israeli airstrikes targeted Palestinian militants in Gaza, and those militants who fired rockets at southern Israel. Among the dead were four Palestinian children who were reportedly struck by a missile while playing football. VOA's Jim Teeple has details from Jerusalem.

It would appear from this that the Israelis managed to wound one of their own in this air strike.

The elected government of the Palestinians, who do not have the money (cut off by Israel and the US) or power to stop Hamas none the less condemned the attacks.

Speaking in Jerusalem on Thursday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki criticized the rocket attacks by Palestinian militants, but he also called on Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza.

"These stupid missiles being launched, you know they are firecrackers, but in the end they have killed Israeli civilians," said al-Malki. "We condemn this clearly, openly and straightforwardly. But at the same time we also condemn all these Israeli incursions into Gaza, killing Palestinians civilians, destroying their houses and preventing them from having a normal life. This situation should end, but first of all the siege, the blockade should be lifted."

@ Cynthia T. [Picasso]
I would urge anyone who looks at this report to go to this link that Lensman provided and read it.

It is disturbing and I know from a contact that I have how terrible it is for those who are Arabs in Israel.

Here is in part of something that is said by an Arab Christian pastor in Jerusalem,

The Israelis are past masters at playing on the sympathies of the world. "Poor little us" they say while at the same time they are the region's military Goliath pretending to be David. They do not want people to think that the Palestinians are human beings with the same hopes and dreams that they themselves have.

It is far easier to oppress their captives if the world only thinks of "terrorist" when they think of Palestinians at all but that, of course, in not the whole story.

The Palestinians have faces and it is time that the world look at those faces before spouting facile bromides about "both sides."


These are the people who suffer when Israel cuts off power or chlorine needed to purify water.

I met the pastor that I gave the quote from.
At the time he was a college student here in the US and he spoke one night at my church.

It was heartbreaking what he told of the Arab people not being able to get jobs and not enough food. From that time I have been sending money every month to his dad's church to help them feed these desperate people.

The son, the one that I met, started his church in 2004 in Jerusalem.

@ Cynthia T. [Picasso]
I met the pastor that I gave the quote from.
At the time he was a college student here in the US and he spoke one night at my church.

It was heartbreaking what he told of the Arab people not being able to get jobs and not enough food. From that time I have been sending money every month to his dad's church to help them feed these desperate people.

The son, the one that I met, started his church in 2004 in Jerusalem.

There will never be peace for Israel until their is justice for the Palestinians.

I can't help but think that people that don't like a message will try to kill the messenger.

@ Cynthia T. [Picasso]
I can't help but think that people that don't like a message will try to kill the messenger.

That certainly seems to be the case here. I notice that while some people will say things like:

With the two factions here on DJ tossing out Op/Ed's and posts in our own little tit for tat action..."

they only seem to post criticisms on this thread--strange, isn't it?

Some interesting conclusions by John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

While he condemns the rocket attacks by the terrorist group Hamas he goes on to say:

However, I also made clear publicly and privately my view that, whatever the provocation and illegality of the rockets, the effective Israeli isolation of Gaza is not justified, given Israel's continuing obligations to the people of Gaza. It amounts to collective punishment and is contrary to international humanitarian law. Moreover, it does not appear to be having the desired effect either in halting the rockets or weakening Hamas' position among the people of Gaza, or more widely. Only those who want to see further radicalization can be happy with the present situation.

It is not working and only those who want to see further radicalization can be happy with the present situation. That would seem to sum up the goals of the Israeli government since it cannot justify its oppression of the Palestinian people unless it has some radical behavior on the part of the Palestinians to point to as the "cause."

Mr Holmes goes on to say:

Mr. President, the conditions of life I saw in the West Bank were obviously better than those in Gaza, but the situation there is of no less fundamental humanitarian concern. I had read about the Barrier, the settlements, the permit regime and the access closures, but that had not prepared me for the visible and tangible reality on the ground. The combination of the construction of the Barrier, the steady expansion of the settlements, all still illegal, and the now 580 separate check points and blockages within the West Bank is fragmenting communities. It seriously impairs the access of tens of thousands of people to their land and to essential services, not least medical services. Severe restrictions on the movement of goods and people are affecting economic growth, as well as increasing poverty and food insecurity, and reducing health standards. They further threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state.

"Threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state." That would seem to be the goal in all this. Illegal settlements on occupied land, in violation of international law and UN directives, combined with the systematic destruction of Palestinian society, proves that Israel does not want peace they want all of the occupied territories and are prepared to do whatever it takes to drive the rightful occupants from their land.

My first response to lensman's manipulations. Fallacy #1:

@ lensman67
There is no "both sides" involved. Hamas is an unelected terrorist organization while Israel is a democratically elected government. The crimes of Hamas cannot be blamed on the powerless civilians in Gaza but the curimes of Israel can be blamed on the Israeli electorate making them responsible for all crimes committed.

What is Hamas?

Hamas is the largest and most influential Palestinian militant movement. In January 2006, the group won the Palestinian Authority's (PA) general legislative elections, defeating Fatah, the party of the PA's president, Mahmoud Abbas, and setting the stage for a power struggle.

But no, according to the author of this post, Hamas is an unelected terrorist organization. I guess the BBC was lying when they reported on a fictional Hamas election victory, or the Washington Post must have been lying when they published a report entitled Hamas Sweeps Palestinian Elections, Complicating Peace Efforts in Mideast where, incidentally, they talk about Mahmoud Zahar, who is described as a victorious Hamas candidate from Gaza. But wait, I forgot, the powerless civilians in Gaza have no control over their own destiny, surely the Post is lying when they say that Gazans elected an Hamas candidate? And when you look at Article Thirteen of the Hamas Charter entitled: Peaceful Solutions, Initiatives and International Conferences, what do you read?

Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.

and most telling of all:

There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. The Palestinian people know better than to consent to having their future, rights and fate toyed with.

By the way, Jihad is defined as a holy war waged by Muslims against infidels (meaning anyone who is not Muslim).

@ Carolyn E. Price (gohomelaker)
My first response to lensman's manipulations. Fallacy #1:By the way, Jihad is defined as a holy war waged by Muslims against infidels (meaning anyone who is not Muslim).

You just can't seem to get anything straight. Can you? Perhaps it is your personal animosity clouding your judgment. If that is the case do both of us a favor and don't bother to read my articles. I never waste time reading yours.

Fallacy #1 Like any political group Hamas is composed of factions and while the political organization of Hamas won 76 of the 136 in the Palestinian Parliament they are not the same people who are now in power. When rivaleries broke out between Hamas and Fatah the Battle of Gaza began which resulted in Hamas usurping political power and seizing control of Gaza by military means.

As a result of the conflict, the territory controlled by the Palestinian Authority is de facto divided into two entities: the government of the Gaza Strip, under military occupation of Hamas, and the West Bank, governed by the Palestinian National Authority.

What part of "military occupation" don't you understand? They are no longer a legal, elected political body. The "powerless civilians in Gaza," who the Israelis are oppressing, have no say in the government.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jun/15/israel4
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6751079.stm

You should also do a better job defining terms. Jihad, like Crusade, has a variety of meanings.

Jihad (Arabic: جهاد‎ IPA: [ ʤi'haːd]), which means "to strive" or "to struggle", in Arabic, is an Islamic term and considered a duty by most faithful Muslims. Jihad appears frequently in the Qur'an and common usage as the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid, the plural is mujahideen.

According to scholar John Esposito, Jihad requires Muslims to "struggle in the way of God" or "to struggle to improve one's self and/or society." Jihad is directed against the devil's inducements, aspects of one's own self, or against a visible enemy. The four major categories of jihad that are recognized are Jihad against one's own self (Jihad al-Nafs), Jihad of the tongue, Jihad of the hand, and Jihad of the sword. Within Islamic jurisprudence, the term jihad is usually used in reference to military combat.

Leave it to you to only take one of the FOUR meanings of the word in order to twist its meaning to fit your ends

However unlike Jihad the term "war crime" is not ambivalent and what Israel is doing, in inflicting collective punishment on the people of Gaza is a war crime.

Collective punishment is the punishment of a group of people as a result of the behaviour of one or more other individuals or groups. The punished group may often have no direct association with the other individuals or groups, or direct control over their actions. In times of war and armed conflict, collective punishment has resulted in atrocities, and is a violation of the laws of war and the Geneva Conventions. Historically, occupying powers have used collective punishment to retaliate against and deter attacks on their forces by resistance movements (e.g. by destroying whole villages where attacks have taken place).

Cutting off power, or the means to purified water, is a war crime directed against helpless people. Since you apparently did not bother to read, or at least understand the report of John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator it bears repeating.

However, I also made clear publicly and privately my view that, whatever the provocation and illegality of the rockets, the effective Israeli isolation of Gaza is not justified, given Israel's continuing obligations to the people of Gaza. It amounts to collective punishment and is contrary to international humanitarian law. Moreover, it does not appear to be having the desired effect either in halting the rockets or weakening Hamas' position among the people of Gaza, or more widely. Only those who want to see further radicalization can be happy with the present situation.

Obviously humanity has no claim on your conscience but perhaps others can see that there is a huge distortion in the amount of damage that the Israelis are inflicting on Palestinian children compared to the reverse.

This is the most recent chart I could find. However since then the situation has only gotten worse.

Relatives react after two Palestinian children were killed in Gaza August 7, 2007. A rocket fired at Israel by Palestinian militants on Tuesday fell short and killed two Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip, ambulance crews said. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)

In an area used to shortages and hardship, residents did not seem especially panicked.

"For 16 years I've been boiling the water," said Mohammed Masoud, a restaurant owner. "I'm not worried about the poison in the water _ everything here is already poisonous," Masoud said.

Maybe if the Hamas stopped lobbing bombs into Israel on a daily basis, over and over again, it wouldn't be necessary for them to take such harsh measures.
Essentially you're saying that they should be sure to feed, clothe and care for the very people that are dead set on destroying them?
Yea, that makes alot of sense.
The Gaza Strip was actually a normal, functional place before it was handed over to the Palestinians under the guise of the "Roadmap to Peace". The Israeli's agreed, moved out, went back to Israel, and said "OK, we will be your neighbors and live in peace" and what did the Palestinians do? They went and burned down all of the Israeli buildings, the horticultural center, houses, commercial buildings.....for no reason other than insanity. Then they voted in Hamas to power, and have done nothing but lob bombs at Israel.
Where is the peace?!
Only one Israeli has died vs numerous Palestinians - um, sorry if the Israeli's have better aim.
I really think this article is so ridiculously swayed that it is laughable.

What part of: it was the people of Gaza who elected Hamas to represent them in the government, knowing full well what they were and are capable of, that don't you get? You are the one who says that Hamas is a terrorist organization; they were before the people of Gaza elected one to represent them and they still are. How many countries even recognized the election of those terrorists in the first place ... again, terrorists elected by the citizens of Gaza. I was merely pointing out that the citizens of Gaza are not the innocent bystanders that you would like everyone to believe, because, after all, they elected a terrorist organization to represent them. What did they really expect would happen. Realistically, what did you expect they would do?

Look folks, he's at it once again. I was rebuked by the scholar who authored this post and told how there had been only one Israeli killed in the last nine months and scores of Palestinians killed and injured and then he goes out and gets a big huge bar chart from 2004 to add the exclamation point to his rant ... like that has to do with the chlorine blockade or the last nine months how? Can you not find the actual numbers to back up your "scores" claims?

And yes, the spittle flies and everyone is told how humanity has no claim on your conscience ... I'd like to ask: did you even bother to read what I said in my comment: "It would seem that both sides are perpetrating violence on one another. I think we should all stop sniping and start working towards stopping the God awful violence, and subsequent injuries and deaths being inflicted upon both Israeli's and Palestinian's instead of smugly patting ourselves on the back with each verbal salvo being posted here." Somehow, this is interpreted to mean that I am the wicked witch of the west who has not a shred of compassion for Palestinian children. The problem is that I have compassion for all children, regardless of whether they are Palestinian or Israeli, black, white, Muslim or Christian. I guess it matters not that over the last 24 hour period, Hamas has fired 30 Qassam rockets at the town of Serdot and killed one Israeli and injured around 55 more? I may as well answer my own question: Of course not, why should it because the violence was perpetrated by terrorists, on Israeli's who elected a government that is also firing bombs at innocent Palestinians so, of course, they should just accept the fact that they deserve everything that gets tossed their way.

By the way, is the definition of Jihad that I gave you incorrect or are you just trying to twist my words once again? Am I to understand from your little history lesson on the correct definition of Jihad that the word "Jihad" in the statement: "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors." is referring to something to do with a Jihad against one's own self (Jihad al-Nafs), Jihad of the tongue, or a Jihad of the hand?

@ Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop)
Maybe if the Hamas stopped lobbing bombs into Israel on a daily basis, over and over again, it wouldn't be necessary for them to take such harsh measures.
Essentially you're saying that they should be sure to feed, clothe and care for the very people that are dead set on destroying them?
Yea, that makes alot of sense.
The Gaza Strip was actually a normal, functional place before it was handed over to the Palestinians under the guise of the "Roadmap to Peace". The Israeli's agreed, moved out, went back to Israel, and said "OK, we will be your neighbors and live in peace" and what did the Palestinians do? They went and burned down all of the Israeli buildings, the horticultural center, houses, commercial buildings.....for no reason other than insanity. Then they voted in Hamas to power, and have done nothing but lob bombs at Israel.
Where is the peace?!
Only one Israeli has died vs numerous Palestinians - um, sorry if the Israeli's have better aim.
I really think this article is so ridiculously swayed that it is laughable.

Whether you like it or not Israel is in violation of international law and its collective punishment is a WAR CRIME.

@ Carolyn E. Price (gohomelaker)
What part of: it was the people of Gaza who elected Hamas to represent them in the government, knowing full well what they were and are capable of, that don't you get? You are the one who says that Hamas is a terrorist organization; they were before the people of Gaza elected one to represent them and they still are. How many countries even recognized the election of those terrorists in the first place ... again, terrorists elected by the citizens of Gaza. I was merely pointing out that the citizens of Gaza are not the innocent bystanders that you would like everyone to believe, because, after all, they elected a terrorist organization to represent them. What did they really expect would happen. Realistically, what did you expect they would do?

Look folks, he's at it once again. I was rebuked by the scholar who authored this post and told how there had been only one Israeli killed in the last nine months and scores of Palestinians killed and injured and then he goes out and gets a big huge bar chart from 2004 to add the exclamation point to his rant ... like that has to do with the chlorine blockade or the last nine months how? Can you not find the actual numbers to back up your "scores" claims?

And yes, the spittle flies and everyone is told how humanity has no claim on your conscience ... I'd like to ask: did you even bother to read what I said in my comment: "It would seem that both sides are perpetrating violence on one another. I think we should all stop sniping and start working towards stopping the God awful violence, and subsequent injuries and deaths being inflicted upon both Israeli's and Palestinian's instead of smugly patting ourselves on the back with each verbal salvo being posted here." Somehow, this is interpreted to mean that I am the wicked witch of the west who has not a shred of compassion for Palestinian children. The problem is that I have compassion for all children, regardless of whether they are Palestinian or Israeli, black, white, Muslim or Christian. I guess it matters not that over the last 24 hour period, Hamas has fired 30 Qassam rockets at the town of Serdot and killed one Israeli and injured around 55 more? I may as well answer my own question: Of course not, why should it because the violence was perpetrated by terrorists, on Israeli's who elected a government that is also firing bombs at innocent Palestinians so, of course, they should just accept the fact that they deserve everything that gets tossed their way.

By the way, is the definition of Jihad that I gave you incorrect or are you just trying to twist my words once again? Am I to understand from your little history lesson on the correct definition of Jihad that the word "Jihad" in the statement: "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors." is referring to something to do with a Jihad against one's own self (Jihad al-Nafs), Jihad of the tongue, or a Jihad of the hand?

Whether you like it or not Israel is in violation of international law and its collective punishment is a WAR CRIME.

Israel Kills 18 Palestinians in Gaza

Officials said 18 people were killed Thursday, including five boys who were struck as they played soccer in Jebaliya in northern Gaza. Relatives said the boys ranged in age from 8 to 14.

Ahmed Dardouna, a family member, said four of the boys were related — two were brothers and the other two were their cousins.

"They were playing soccer east of the town, not far from our houses," said Dardouna, 42. He said distraught family members located the bodies at a hospital after the boys failed to come home.

The fifth boy, a 12-year-old neighbor, died later from his wounds, hospital officials said.

Am I mistaken?--or did the people of Gaza elect Hamas as their governors?