>>>>>>>>>>yes the rockets are terrorism and should be stopped but Israels response is appalling.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>This is what amazes me. I am all for a Palestinian state, but totally against indescriminate bombing. What would you have Israel do? Just lob dumb bombs indescriminantly into Gaza near schools and places when kids and families are coming and going? Just to keep it 'completely even?' That's ridiculous. Wars would last lifetimes as this one probably will.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>No thats not whaht I'm saying.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I don't think the founders of Israel would be very proud of the way it behaves today. Israel has a clear choice how it uses very accurate weapons and it has chosen to inflict heavy civilian casualties to teach them a lesson. Probably the Hamas terrorists are largely untouched and will be back.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I agree. They can go house to house and weed the bad guys out risking their life and those of the civilians that are willfully or forcefully inhabiting these homes. Either way Isrealis can't win in the eyes of the world, like you.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>BTW: North Korea is now beating their war drums too.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090201/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_tension
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Ok. prez. Obama your up to bat. Show us what you can do.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The Israelis can't win because they keep using the same old policies.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>They could try getting all settlements out of the West Bank and opening up the borders of Gaza and the west bank to allow trade and some sort of economic revival there.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>If you give a people nothing to lose you end with very dedicate terrorists who have nothing to lose. Israel has proved this very well over the last 40 years.
>>>>>
>>>>>Re-print of the facts FYI - Let me see . . . Israel backed out of the Gaza area and removed it's settlers from the area so the Palestinians could have the territory to themselves. Israel left the border open so the Palestinians, who worked in Israel, could get to their jobs. Unfortunately the Palestinians accidentally sent in several Iraqi finanaced suicide bombers. Israel actually tollerated the situation for quite a while, but eventually set up border check points to control access. Israel found out that even that didn't work when contruction equipment was commandeered by Palestinians who tried to use the machinery as a weapon. All the while the katusha rockets were being fired into Israel. Well, finally a wall was built and access from Gaza was cut off. Still the rockets came. So, for two weeks Israel warned the Palestinians that the rockets were to stop or Israel would come and stop them. The rocket didn't stop. Israel went into Gaza to stop them. According to Hamas, it is all Israel's fault.
>>>>
>>>>You left out the part where Israel drops leaflets warning civilians of the incoming rockets and then even calls the residents to tell them to leave before bombing a location where Hama is known to fire from.
>>>
>>>So do you two work for the Israeli Government press agency. You certainly seem to toe the party line. You seem to have absolutly no doubt that one side is all good and one side is all bad.
>>
>>That's quite an assumption. Do a search and see how many times I took Israel to task or supported the Palestinians. It is not cut and dry and I never intended to imply that. I do not see Israel as the only 'good guys' or the Palestinians as the only 'bad guys.' There is PLENTY of blame to go around. When I read a clear blame for one side or the other though without comments on the fault of both sides, I feel it's necessary to throw some facts into the picture. Your message implied to me that you see Israel as the one at fault and the only one at fault. I may have misunderstood, but then there is alot of that going around... :o)
>
>You're right you are a fair minded person and I apologise.

The whole middle east is a hotbed right now. It is only going to get worse. That is the tragedy. Unless all nations (that includes Arab nations) unite in a supported peace initiative and a Palestinian state, I don't see it changing. Until Hamas loses its support of other nations in their terrorist activities and bombings, they will continue. Until Isarael is no longer threatened and no longer spreads their settlements into Palestinian areas (I refer to Jewish-only settlements), it will continue.