adam4267

The Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra front is reportedly in control of the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Aug-27/268671-syrian-rebels-seize-control-of-qunaitra-crossing-into-golan-heights-activists.ashx#axzz3BarggC5n While ISIS could be in control soon. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.612621 Two months ago an Israeli teenager in the Golan Heights was killed by cross border fire. Israel returned fire. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/10918265/Israeli-boy-of-13-killed-in-Golan-Heights-blast-from-across-Syria-border.html

You're right the school system in Israel is seperate and unequal. There are Arab schools which teach Arab children their language, history and culture and there are Secular schools which teach Jewish children their language, history and culture. (There are also schools for ultra-orthodox and people with special education needs) Is that it? Is that your evidence of apartheid? Considering the government; have made "closing the educational gaps between Arabs and Jews the top priority for the ministry." http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/a-new-look-at-arab-education-in-israel.premium-1.526713 are increasing the number of teachers in Arab schools while the number of teachers in secular schools is falling http://www.haaretz.com/business/number-of-computer-teachers-at-secular-schools-fell-42-in-decade-1.453704 have made Arabic studies compulsory in all schools http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11075326 and allow Arabs to volunteer to do national service in their own communities and receive the same benefits as discharged soldiers http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3974580,00.html And don't forget that education in universities is integrated. Yet not everyone agrees with that. Why don't you watch a video of an Arab-Israeli who says she wants more segregated schooling. She wants the Arab communities to choose their own curriculum's rather than have national curriculum's and she wants segregated universities. (She also says Israel is an apartheid country - yet can't think of any examples) http://youtu.be/rEp-kWWXat4?t=1m12s Also remember that Israel is the second most educated country in the world - more educated than the UK http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-ranked-second-most-educated-country-in-the-world-study-shows-1.410415

I always like how they quote Albert Einstein. He had different political views to many of Israel's founders but ultimately he was a zionist. In 1947 Zionist leaders asked Albert Einstein to work a miracle and persuade a sceptical India to support the birth of a Jewish state. His fascinating correspondence with Jawaharlal Nehru has recently surfaced in Israeli archives. Benny Morris analyses their exchange Albert Einstein was a somewhat reluctant Zionist. To be sure, he often referred to himself as a proud Jewish nationalist, and declared that though the Zionist enterprise was threatened by "fanatical Arab outlaws" (as he phrased it in 1938) the country would become "a centre of culture for all Jews, a refuge for the most grievously oppressed, a field of action for the best among us, a unifying ideal, and a means of attaining inward health for the Jews of the whole world". In a letter to the Manchester Guardian in 1929, he lauded the "young pioneers, men and women of magnificent intellectual and moral calibre, breaking stones and building roads under the blazing rays of the Palestinian sun" and "the flourishing agricultural settlements shooting up from the long-deserted soil... the development of water power... [and] industry... and, above all, the growth of an educational system ... What observer... can fail to be seized by the magic of such amazing achievement and of such almost superhuman devotion?" Einstein's four-page letter of June 13 1947 to Nehru focused on moral and historical arguments. He opened with praise for India's constituent assembly, which had just abolished untouchability. "The attention of the world was [now] fixed on the problem of another group of human beings who, like the untouchables, have been the victims of persecution and discrimination for centuries" - the Jews. He appealed to Nehru as a "consistent champion of the forces of political and economic enlightenment" to rule in favour of "the rights of an ancient people whose roots are in the East". He pleaded for "justice and equity". "Long before the emergence of Hitler I made the cause of Zionism mine because through it I saw a means of correcting a flagrant wrong." http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/feb/16/israel.india

Sorry, it was East Stirlingshire. That makes it ok. Again - why can't you just explain simply to us how there is apartheid in Israel. All you seem able to do is link to other people saying it. If you are so confident that there is apartheid in Israel surely you must understand it and be able to explain?

What, you mean facts? I'm sure they would be embarrassed by that. Still waiting to hear how Israel is apartheid according to the definition you provided. "committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them" I really don't see how it's so difficult considering how often you have claimed it. Surely it should be very easy to prove? Although, remember you did claim earlier that being Jewish is basically no different from supporting East Stirling. If Jews are responsible for apartheid in Israel does that mean East Stirling fans could also be responsible for apartheid?

So a poll shows that people want to see these kind of things happen. That means they're not already happening now does it not? Apartheid - according to your own definition - is "committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them" How does that apply? Which racial group is being 'systematically opressed'?

Not what I said (not like you to lie!) and also still waiting on you to tell me how Israel is apartheid. Considering the UN have an exact definition it shouldn't be too difficult.

It seems like quite an applicable term for Israel. Maybe they are bad in some respects but people seem to love shouting about how they are much worse than they really are, make up lots of lies about them, compare them to the very worst people in history - all while ignoring everything going on in other countries around them.

You're right I don't get it, because you haven't explained it. All you've done is say what the definition of apartheid is. How does that apply to israel?

Why don't you explain it to me so that I, and everyone else in the thread will know?

I don't know anything about apartheid in Israel. Why don't you tell me about it so I am ignorant no longer.

What?

After weeks of IDF attacks, which in many cases have led to a breakdown in Hamas’s chain of command, there is growing skepticism in Hamas about whether the fighting continues to be worthwhile. As Operation Protective Edge enters its eighth week on Tuesday, Hamas has taken a severe military and morale blow, but its military arm is preparing for another round of fighting believing the price its people are paying is tolerable as long as its goals are achieved. This is the assessment of senior Israeli security officials who nevertheless say there is growing skepticism among Hamas operatives about whether the fighting continues to be worthwhile considering the number of Hamas fighters who have been killed, the destruction of key military installations, the hit on the rocket manufacturing capabilities, and the destruction caused to the terror tunnels, which Hamas viewed as its “Day of Judgement” weapon. According to these assessments, in some cases, mid-level commanders – concerned that their homes would be destroyed – preferred to flee with their families from the areas of fighting. As a result, those fighters who remained often felt abandoned and lost the will to continue to fight.According to these assessments, the IDF attacks in Gaza -- including damage to the homes of senior Hamas commanders -- the killing of commanders as well as damage done to the more junior military level led in many instances to a breakdown in Hamas’s chain of command, and even the abandonment of the rank and file on the battlefield. In other cases, according to the assessment, some of the Hamas fighters felt their superiors completely abandoned them. One instance was reported where 14 Hamas fighters were trapped for 20 days in a tunnel, surviving only on water and dates – with no effort by their commanders to rescue them. Some of the men starved to death. According to information obtained by the security services, immediately after the kidnapping of the three Israeli youths in Gush Etzion in mid-June, various Hamas commanders went underground, making it impossible to consult with them. While there was dissatisfaction toward the commanders from the rank-and-file, there was also often dissatisfaction from the commanders toward the fighters, especially in the eastern sector of Gaza where there was displeasure among the senior ranks to the resistance put up against the IDF ground incursion. According to these assessments, the intensity of the Israeli attacks, the damage down to the commanders, the intelligence and the destruction of the tunnels surprised Hamas officials, some of whom did not believe that Israel was prepared to make a ground incursion into Gaza. The targeted assassinations and the intelligence information regarding the tunnels created a great deal of suspicion of people collaborating with Israel, and this suspicion led often to abandoning the use of advanced technological equipment, which made management of the fighting for Hamas's top brass even more difficult. According to the assessments, the prevailing mood in the street is one of bitterness and anger toward Hamas, whose leaders were among the first to hide and left the civilians to fend for themselves. In one instance, women at Shifa Hospital beat up Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri and prevented him from speaking, as they shouted at him that while their sons were killed and homes were bombed, he was hiding in the hospital. Hamas's grave condition, and its need to motivate its people, led to a situation where it confiscated aid allowed into the Strip and passed it over to its own people, at the expense of others. Meanwhile, numerous Hamas activists have been arrested and interrogated over the past seven weeks, and described the degree to which mosques and hospitals were used as staging grounds and hiding places, and where areas near pre-schools were commonly used as starting points for tunnels and as hiding places for arms. Among the prominent examples: Abd al-Rahman Balousha, from Khan Yunis, said that the Alsafa and Alabra mosques there serve as a staging ground for Hamas terrorists. Muhammad Ramadan from Khan Yunis said his anti-tank weapons training took place in a hall located under the Alshafi mosque in Khan Yunis. He added that the hall serves as an Izzadin Al-Kassam Brigades training and instruction facility, and is closed to non-military personnel. Muhammad Alqadra, from Khan Yunis, said “everyone knows that Hamas leaders are hiding in hospitals,” where they have armed bodyguards, visible to all, usually wearing police uniforms. He estimated that Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh was hiding in Shifa hospital in Gaza, apparently in an area not accessible to citizens, and accompanied by security guards in civilian clothes. http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Security-officials-paint-picture-of-Gaza-street-seething-and-Hamas-in-disarray-372337

I wasn't alive during apartheid so don't have a clue about it m8

Looks like it will be EasyJet from now on for all BDS supporters http://www.haaretz.com/travel-in-israel/travel-news/1.612400

Hamas's true objective in Operation Protective Edge - and negotiations that may follow - is in "liberating" Jerusalem from the Jews, a Hamas spokesman stated earlier this week. "The time has come for us to say that the true war is not aimed at opening border crossings," Sami Abu Zuhri said. "Our true war is aimed at the liberation of Jerusalem, Allah willing." His words were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI. He then chanted "Khaybar, Khaybar al Yahood," an Arabic phrase meaning that Allah will return to expel (or kill) the Jews. Khaybar was a Jewish village north of Medina, Saudi Arabia, which was conquered by Islamists in 629 CE. Crowds waving Hamas flags cheered him on. "The army of Mohammed has begun its return," he continued. "Resistance, resistance. . .we are all with the resistance." "The war will continue," Abu Zuhri affirmed. "However, it is not only the blockade which is rejected by our people. Our people refuses to accept the defiling of the land by the occupier." "Therefore, as of today, the resistance is not preparing for the opening of a border crossing here or there, but rather, for the liberation of our Palestinian land," he continued. "This is the truth that Netanyahu should understand." "We have become more resolute to wage the war of liberation, in order to end the settlements and Judaization, and in order to liberate our land and holy places." The rallying cry emerges amid rampant rumors that Netanyahu is weighing a ceasefire, which could extend indefinitely and acquiesce to several of Hamas's unprecedented demands, including a seaport and an airport. Accusations of "Judaizing" Israel and Jerusalem are common amongst the Muslim world, despite the fact that Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran and that, according to Middle Eastern Studies scholars, Mohammed himself stated that the Land of Israel is "destined for the Jews." http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/184433#.U_xzzPldUWJ

Probably because it's not a fact. Some anti-Israel activists and historians have claimed it is true but many more people from a much more diverse range of opinion either believe it is false or not proven. At best it is a theory at worst it is just hyperbolic nonsense (of course anti-Israel activists and anti-Semites aren't known for that). 800,000 Arabs left Israel during the war of 1948. Civilians tend to leave places during wars. There were massacres and expulsions on both sides but no one can know how many Arabs were expelled and how many chose to leave because of war, because they didn't want to live in a Jewish state or were told to by their own leaders. It would make sense for these countries to give citizenship to these refugees who can't return home (like Israel did with the 800,000 Jews who fled Arab countries) but these countries who started the war which caused the Palestinian people to leave their homes gave them no citizenship and put many of them in refugee camps where they have lived for 70 years. Israel did agree to a UN proposal which would grant 270,000 residents and refugees of the Gaza Strip Israeli citizenship if Egypt gave them the territory. They later agreed to a plan which would allow 100,000 Palestinian refugees to return but both of these were rejected by Arab leaders. But of course, in your eyes, the blame always lies with Israel and the Jews.

They're not exactly like them currently but I don't know how you can say they want to keep it that way. Masked Hamas gunmen have executed 20+ "collaborators" on the streets of Gaza in the last few days. http://online.wsj.com/articles/hamas-kills-18-alleged-collaborators-1408715295 It's not exactly the actions of a group who are becoming less radical.

They actually said they were going to arm the West Bank. http://www.firstpost.com/world/gaza-live-we-will-arm-palestine-says-iran-as-conflict-spirals-1671989.html Not like the King give inaccurate information on this thread

Israel is bombing Gaza because Hamas keeps launching rockets at Israel. I'm not saying Hamas and IS are the same but they are on the same scale. They are both jihadist Muslim groups looking to establish countries run by their interpretations of shariah law. IS might be more extreme in their methods but that doesn't mean they don't have the same goals and objectives and it doesn't mean they can't work together. Why do you think so few arab countries are currently supporting Hamas? They are all terrified of extremist Islam and don't want to support any form of it.

You know that some ISIS terrorists are already operating in Gaza and certain factions there have declared allegiance to ISIS? They also aim to destroy Israel after establishing their caliphate. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/tr/originals/2014/02/isis-gaza-salafist-jihadist-qaeda-hamas.html# http://www.vocativ.com/world/israel-world/isis-operating-gaza/#!bJyVjy

You compared being Jewish to supporting a football team. The Nazis didn't give people the option of wearing a different coloured scarf to avoiding being murdered. And if you're so desperate to "speak out against the Jews" go ahead. Please don't let me stop you.

I'm sure the 6 million Jews who were murdered in gas chambers and many more who have been murdered throughout history for the crime of being born Jewish would appreciate you humour.

Comparing Jews to East Stirling fans. About as accurate as the rest of your posts. Is there a Bahá'í nationalist movement?

Palestine is a non-member observer state.The picture just seems to suggest a fact which isn't true. Considering that Israel accepted four ceasefires and Hamas only chose to observe fourth then resumed hostilities immediately afterwards.