Yassir Arafat died, 11/11 2004

[mykfin]

Yes i agree with you, the barrier has helped the Isrealis, but there are places where it has put a great hardship on Palastinians.If i were living in the area i would certainly be for the barrier.

There is no hidden agenda in the photo, but i can see where your coming from.......... its not the picture i was looking for, i was just trying to depict the size of it.

And yes! since the death of Arafat things have been more peaceful.

[mykfin]

Looks like i spoke too soon


Israel market attack kills four

At least four people have been killed and up to 30 wounded in a suspected suicide bomb attack in the Israeli northern coastal town of Hadera.
The blast happened near a food stand in the town's busy market place, a scene of previous attacks, police say.

Ambulances rushed to the scene to treat the wounded, as security forces sealed off the town, Israeli media reports.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad said it carried out the attack in revenge for Israel's killing of its senior leader.

The group told the Associated Press by telephone it was avenging the killing of Luay Saadi by Israel in the West Bank on Monday.

On the whole, there has been little violence in the recent past.

Palestinian militant groups agreed to a ceasefire last March, and there has been relative calm since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in August.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denounced the attack and said he hoped it would not undermine the cessation of violence between the two sides

BBC

[alissre]

According to the news I see now one of the victims is Arab citizen, not a great consideration of their own people…

"There is no hidden agenda in the photo, but i can see where your coming from.........."

I know what you mean... lol

[sortoff]

Fear and blood laid the corner stone for the wall...and it would be interesting to compare opinions from an Israeli who lives with fear, and a Palestinian who depends on daily access to support a family, No doubt the Israeli would answer security, but not far behind( albeit seldom admited) would be segregation,an attitude which permeates most of Israel today.

Even with a broad margin of understanding for the Israeli security point,it would be a stretch of the imagination to see any future in a persona non grates handicap, unemployment, and poor living conditions that are the norm for the average Palestinian.


Granted the jew has suffered, and they should not be held responsible for all the problems within the Palestinian areas, considering corruption and the myriad of foreign fundamentalist groups claiming Palestine as their jihad and demanding Israels demise..


Religious war has no easy answer, and the cost of suffering is with the population far more than the military,
Bosnia gave us graphic proof of this, and that conflict is a thousand years old, the blood shed and displacement of peoples only prolongs the hatred.

No amount of barriers will solve the problem, history will bare witness with the walls and fortresses laying in ruin, which have far outlasted their builders and their attempts to exclude.

And with this history comes the sad reminder that we have not learned from it.

[goldstein]

Yassir Arafat rode the Palestinian cause like a colossus!

One could not think of Palestinian movement without thinking of him.

It is he who galvanised world opinion in support of Palestine
and kept actions against Israel (terrorist as well as diplomatic) boiling.

His achievement is like that of Nelson Mandela.
Only that Mandela's movement was a peaceful one!

[sortoff]

Yup, while his wife rode the Visa card with shopping sprees in Paris with funds ear marked for the Palestinian people...a true colossus for sure.

And keeping the terrorist pot boiling... a good point for peace...I'm sure the Israelis think so.


To equate Arafat with Mandela...please... spare me.

[mykfin]

What do you do when you are surrounded by countries that want to wipe you off the face of the planet?

No, no barrier will ever be the answer (if there is one) but as a stop gap until things settle down, it sure is a help.

Ask yourself....... what would you do in their position?

Why are the Palistinians living like rats, millions upon millions have been poured in there, and why is it with so many rich arab countries in that part of the world they are not helping their brothers to re-build.

Arafat robbed his own people blind, while his people suffered, his wife was living the life in Switzerland, and she was not the only one.

Arafat did not move his people on one iota, they are just as bad off now as they were 30 years ago.

[sortoff]

How right you are mykfin!

In 1967 the Israeli's were attacked by 5 Arab countries simultaneously... the Arab's lost, for one simple reason, lack of leadership and unity.

The palestinian has suffered for years because of this, its leaders calling for blood has paved a road with countless dead,diminished positive public opinion, and hardened the Israeli stance towards relinqishing the occupied territories.

The Arab has always suffered, its leaders squandering millions to become pompous dictators while the population goes hungry...Syria,Egypt,Iraq,and Iran have spent billions on huge military machines and unbelievable corrupt regimes bent on driving the Jew into the sea.

Opinion tends to forget this point,( along with the other wars started by the Arabs) its easy to side with the underdog Palestinian cause while drinking coffee at some trendy Cafe or the anonymity of a web page...saying anything positive about Israel would be liberal no no...

You pick up the morning paper, and see Iran calling for the extinction of the Jewish race...where is world condemnation and outrage? oh ya I forgot.. popular opinion.

Unfortunately the issue has become fair game for the uneducated web crowd ready to enject a biased point of view from the comfort of their living rooms, without bothering to read history.

AArrrggghh

[mykfin]

I personally cant see an end to the middle east conflict, there is just too much hate, its been going on for ages.

I mean what future is there when certain factions who teach their children to hate, to hate from the day that they are born, is this what they want for their children, the mind boggles.

Could you imagine what the world could do with all the money that has been spent on conflict, eradicate world poverty and wipe out many ills of the world, but as i write i hear of terror attacks around the globe, looks like things are not going to change, as if they ever would.

[sortoff]

Ya I think I translated the US deficit for 2005 (319 billion dollars) into food... The World Food Org. estimated cost for one meal is 29 cents.

That worked out to over 100 meals for every man woman and child on the face of this planet!!!

In those terms alone we should be ashamed of humanity.