How Israel intimidates US politicians: [amazon.com]

Religious extremism is at the heart of a lot of problems in this world.

Shared on FB.

Because Palestinians live there?

I have often wondered why people expect Israel to give up land it won in a war against them.

Both sides are motivated by their religious extremism. Both are imprisoned by their own power structures. The Gazans have maintained an attitude of hostility even in the face of repeated defeat. In the face of this intransigence, Israel has penalized the Palestinians by taking/stealing more land. This strategy hasn't worked to reduce the hostility, but the Palestinians do lose real estate. None of the other Arab countries will take them in, and they generally revile the Palestinians as a people as much as the Israelis do. The Iranians and Saudis use the Palestinians as PR puppets, and the Saudis could and do help the Palestinians financially, but the Palestinians divert most of the Saudi, UN and US money for clandestine warfare. As long as the Gazans support Hamas, nothing can improve. That's their choice and they've made it. If it were any other country other than Israel, the Gazans would be dead history.

I am not Israeli, neither Palestinian. That's all I have to say

The awful nature of the beast very sad

Yes, the whole thing sucks, I'm glad it's being spoken about more, I think even a lot of Israelis are getting sick of the situation (an Israeli guy interviewed by a news reporter said that recently anyway).

I wish we could do more, but it's really at Government level It makes me very sad if I mull on it; and has for years. But Ireland has peace now, here's hoping it comes to Israel/ Palestine sooner rather than later.

Because, same as Israel, they are a nation of people. The whole thing is beyond screwed up. Add in the evangelical portion of the Americas believing that the conflict is the literal beginning of the second coming, and you have a bunch of people concerned about the situation for the wrong reasons.

There are 20X More Palestinians, Jordanians, and Yes Iranians and Syrians who border a Country that you could drive in one day. The Israeli Concept of just pushing someone off the Block to wander in the Desert will come back and bite them in the Ass Bigly. The Hasidic Populace wants exemption from the Military and the Jewish Youth are experiencing the Questions of Ethics and Morality that are not conducive to sustaining an effective Military Force. Add in the fact that all Women are as subjected to Military Service. The US supplementing them with Arms and Munitions isn't going to bring anyone to the table.

Even the people on this board can't get past the history between Israel and Palestine. Everyone clearly has bias for one and against the other. If anyone thinks that the actual people living there are going to put their history aside to find peaceful terms I've got a bridge I'd like to talk to you about.

Regarding the article, it paints Israel has the devil and Palestine as these poor beaten children as if the fighting in the Middle East has been one-sided over the the past hundred years. If Israel hadn't received help from outside sources they would have been demolished decades ago. With that assistance they have clearly time and again used that power to push back and the aggressor label has moved back and forth. The US has absolutely helped Israel and at times it was necessary, probably not always but at times it was. The US does a lot of shady shit, helping Israel has not been one of those items even if Israel has sometimes gone too far.

The fault in the Middle East lies with everyone involved, there is no single entity that is at fault. There may have been a hundred years ago, but those people are dead and everyone else inherited this bullshit and an epic history of violence. The reality of the situation is that the US stopped Israel from being demolished, and didn't want to step in and demolish everyone attacking them. You can argue that we should have let them die, or destroyed everyone else involved. Either way that would likely be the start of WWIII and that wasn't a price we've been willing to pay.

When the Middle East can decide that everyone alive is equally accountable, responsible, and not responsible, then maybe they can find peace. Articles like this aren't looking for peace, they're looking for a victor.

It matters because it is unjust that they had their homeland taken from them to make the state of Israel. They were allowed to keep a very small piece of land called the Gaza strip and part of the west bank of the river Jordan, however the Israelis have allowed settlements to be built on the west bank and in fact encouraged them. More and more territory has been taken from the Palestinians over the years and in Gaza they have the sea on one side of them and the border with Israel on the other. Israel blockades the port at Gaza from time to time, so they are effectively held prisoners on that tiny strip of land. We should all care, because western governments have turned a blind eye doesn’t mean we should too.

The unfortunate, oppressed Palestinians are continually frustrated by their inability to achieve their objective of destroying Israel and annihilating all the Jews. Those Pesky Israelis persistently refuse to cooperate.

People should do a little research on Israeli Prime Ministers that were terrorists. I count 13. Maybe there's more?

matters just because they are people that are persecuted

Because people matter.

Palestine has mattered to me since I learned the truth of what israel is... hateful, apartheid, racist and so far from jewish that any jew should shun it as they would nazi germany.

Someday perhaps Palestine will be free. It is one of my greatest hopes.