Sell silly someplace else.
The only reason there is collateral damage in this affair is because the goat herders of hamas et al CHOOSES to fight behind civilians. As a matter of principle, the state of israel has an inalienable right to defend itself either from external threats or internal lawless violence, as do any independent state within the community of nations.
When lawless violence emanates from within the territorial boundary of a state, it has the entirely legal and valid option of declaring martial law.
The declaration of independence of the state of israel:
...in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months — to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions. We extend our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East....
Where have you been?
Nobody is denying the toll of the arab-israeli war on the civilian population of both sides. Nor is anyone questioning the chain of events that led to the war.
It started with un resolution 181 -- the two state solution proposed by the un in anticipation of the british withdrawal from the palestinian mandate. The jews accepted. The arabs refused on the grounds that any compromise that will not give the palestinian mandate in its entirety to arab hands is unacceptable.
Within days of the declaration, the combined arab armies invaded israel and the rest, so to speak, is history.
These are historical FACTS which you wish to revise based solely on that interview.
Which begs the question -- did the us help for the jews to defend their separate and independent state or to establish a us puppet state in the middle east?
As for china, I wasn't aware that you are at war with china. One would normally see us projection of military and economic influence in asia as openly provocative to china's interests. But then again, is chinese interest really hostile to the us? For an expanding economy, china would most logically have economic ties with its neighbors -- ties which predate even the arrival of the first europeans to asia.
So, what exactly should china do, hmmmm?
Nonsense.
I am in favor of a two-state solution. And an important pre-requisite for a palestinian state to join the community of nations is TO FORGO LAWLESS VIOLENCE in obtaining this end.
It is simple really -- hamas, hezbollah and the various goat-herder organizations need to DISARM PRIOR TO JOINING LEGITIMATE POLITICAL PROCESSES. It is an entirely reasonable condition. In fact, I know of no other way to proceed without it.
But they wouldn't, would they?
