Would you be cooperative if all your neighbors wanted to burn down your house and kick you out of the neighborhood?

Israel was a state created for outsiders in a place that people always lived. Mainly due to overwhelming guilt from the Holocaust.

 

If I moved an entire Jewish family into your living room, I doubt you would be very happy.

Israel was a state created for outsiders in a place that people always lived. Mainly due to overwhelming guilt from the Holocaust.

 

If I moved an entire Jewish family into your living room, I doubt you would be very happy.

 

Palestine is an area, not a country. The origins of the land of Israel date back to ~1000 BC, some 1600 year before the creation of Islam and Arab control of the area. The League of Nations gave Great Britain a mandate in 1922 following WWI to secure a Jewish national home in the area of Palestine, 20 years before the Holocaust. The Jewish people were returning to an area that they were driven from by the Romans and Arabs. So as far as I’m concerned they have as much, if not more, right to modern day Israel as the modern day “Palestinians”.

 

Judaism ~ 2000 BC

Christianity ~ 32 AD

Islam ~ 600 AD

Palestine is an area, not a country. The origins of the land of Israel date back to ~1000 BC, some 1600 year before the creation of Islam and Arab control of the area. The League of Nations gave Great Britain a mandate in 1922 following WWI to secure a Jewish national home in the area of Palestine, 20 years before the Holocaust. The Jewish people were returning to an area that they were driven from by the Romans and Arabs. So as far as I’m concerned they have as much, if not more, right to modern day Israel as the modern day “Palestinians”.

 

Judaism ~ 2000 BC

Christianity ~ 32 AD

Islam ~ 600 AD

No matter how you want to spin it, Israel NEVER would've happened without overwhelming guilt due to the Holocaust. Just like Iraq, when you try to force a country upon an area it generally doesn't work out (unless you wholesale slaughter the existing natives).

The Israelis and Palestinians (Jews & Muslims) don't hate each other. I've been in Jerusalem in a kosher hotel with a waiter named Mohammed. It's all about the extremists, who are doing it for the money.

 

Here is what happens. Muslim terrorist group attacks and attacks for years. Israel strikes back, normally with way, way more force than needed, and then takes a little bit of land. Muslim extremist group shoots rockets from schools and orphanages, so that Israel will get blamed when they return fire at those missile locations.

 

It's a neverending cycle, and at times I feel that the best option for the United States to get the heck out of there. Israel already has one of the best militaries in the world- ours- and, while I know that lunatics like Iran's leader (however you spell it) say, "Israel is a stinking corpse that needs to be wiped off the face of the earth," I wonder how much more we can do. Sometimes, the U.S. has to act in its own best interest- and, with mounting government debt, that may be by drastically reducing our world police force.

 

As for arguments about "Israel shouldn't be a country", I find those to be baseless as well. Perhaps we should renounce the United States because native Americans were here first?

No matter how you want to spin it, Israel NEVER would've happened without overwhelming guilt due to the Holocaust. Just like Iraq, when you try to force a country upon an area it generally doesn't work out (unless you wholesale slaughter the existing natives).

 

So what is the solution? Eliminate the country of Israel, expel the Jews, and create the nation of Palestine? Pull out all foreign troops from the entire Middle East and Western Asia? Change our foreign policy to one of isolationism? Should we have let Iraq take over Kuwait and possibly Saudi Arabia? Let Iran build nuclear weapons?

Israel's agression? :lol:

 

What will a Palestinian state accomplish? I'll tell you what. It will give Muslim terrorists a better, more strategic staging area to launch attacks...and the target will get smaller thanks to Israel giving land away.

 

Seriously. Is there a person out there with just a shred of common sense who thinks the Palestinians/Arabs/Terrorist Organizations will honor a peace treaty regardless of what kind of deal they get?

 

Has the world completely gone off the deep end? Politicians throughout the world call for the same thing. You'd think they, of all people, would understand the concept of making promises you have no intention of keeping to get what you want. The results of past agreements and treaties speak for themselves. The Arab world has repeatedly stated it's goal of destroying Israel...a separate Palestinian state doesn't accomplish that goal. It merely gives them a little help in accomplishing it.

 

 

 

Agreed on all parts

The Israelis and Palestinians (Jews & Muslims) don't hate each other. I've been in Jerusalem in a kosher hotel with a waiter named Mohammed. It's all about the extremists, who are doing it for the money.

 

Here is what happens. Muslim terrorist group attacks and attacks for years. Israel strikes back, normally with way, way more force than needed, and then takes a little bit of land. Muslim extremist group shoots rockets from schools and orphanages, so that Israel will get blamed when they return fire at those missile locations.

 

It's a neverending cycle, and at times I feel that the best option for the United States to get the heck out of there. Israel already has one of the best militaries in the world- ours- and, while I know that lunatics like Iran's leader (however you spell it) say, "Israel is a stinking corpse that needs to be wiped off the face of the earth," I wonder how much more we can do. Sometimes, the U.S. has to act in its own best interest- and, with mounting government debt, that may be by drastically reducing our world police force.

 

As for arguments about "Israel shouldn't be a country", I find those to be baseless as well. Perhaps we should renounce the United States because native Americans were here first?

 

 

A pretty bold statement. I've been to Israel as well and Jerusalem is pretty much a segragated city. Their is an air of tension their all the time.

I think the Pope should lose his 501©(3) classification because he politics from the pulpit.

 

Should all the other pastors who we see on TV giving their opinion on political issues lose it as well?

 

The Pope is entitled to give his opinion as is anyone else. Many celebrities give theirs loudly and often because they have a platform to do so. Journalists now often give their opinion instead of just reporting the story.

 

We all the choice to agree, disagree or not even listen.

A pretty bold statement. I've been to Israel as well and Jerusalem is pretty much a segragated city. Their is an air of tension their all the time.

I was from late December 2008-January 2009, during the rocket launches into southern Israel, and I didn't see anything or feel much tension. There are certainly heavily-armed guards everywhere, but I saw Jews, Muslims, and us Christians interacting with no problems, as well as talking to our tour guides who told us that the majority of people have little problem getting on with their lives, and many are sick of the fighting.

Should all the other pastors who we see on TV giving their opinion on political issues lose it as well?

 

The Pope is entitled to give his opinion as is anyone else. Many celebrities give theirs loudly and often because they have a platform to do so. Journalists now often give their opinion instead of just reporting the story.

 

We all the choice to agree, disagree or not even listen.

He's joking.

Maybe BO can mediate since he seems to have few, if any, ties to Christianity or to Judism.

Maybe BO can mediate since he seems to have few, if any, ties to Christianity or to Judism.

I thought he was a Muslim anyways. :confused: :confused:

The Israelis and Palestinians (Jews & Muslims) don't hate each other. I've been in Jerusalem in a kosher hotel with a waiter named Mohammed. It's all about the extremists, who are doing it for the money.

 

Here is what happens. Muslim terrorist group attacks and attacks for years. Israel strikes back, normally with way, way more force than needed, and then takes a little bit of land. Muslim extremist group shoots rockets from schools and orphanages, so that Israel will get blamed when they return fire at those missile locations.

 

It's a neverending cycle, and at times I feel that the best option for the United States to get the heck out of there. Israel already has one of the best militaries in the world- ours- and, while I know that lunatics like Iran's leader (however you spell it) say, "Israel is a stinking corpse that needs to be wiped off the face of the earth," I wonder how much more we can do. Sometimes, the U.S. has to act in its own best interest- and, with mounting government debt, that may be by drastically reducing our world police force.

 

As for arguments about "Israel shouldn't be a country", I find those to be baseless as well. Perhaps we should renounce the United States because native Americans were here first?

 

Astute analysis. I'm personally optimistic a solution can be achieved, but the United States is wasting resources by choosing a side.

Palestine is an area, not a country. The origins of the land of Israel date back to ~1000 BC, some 1600 year before the creation of Islam and Arab control of the area. The League of Nations gave Great Britain a mandate in 1922 following WWI to secure a Jewish national home in the area of Palestine, 20 years before the Holocaust. The Jewish people were returning to an area that they were driven from by the Romans and Arabs. So as far as I’m concerned they have as much, if not more, right to modern day Israel as the modern day “Palestinians”.

 

Judaism ~ 2000 BC

Christianity ~ 32 AD

Islam ~ 600 AD

 

A little simplistic. The Romans didn't "drive" the Jews away, they merely conquered then put down a rebellion. The Assyrians and Babylonians did far more in scattering the historical Jewish population in 722 and 587 BC.

 

Even at best, you are dealing with making a case for an ethnic group to reclaim an area as solely theirs when literally thousands of years had gone by since they were lastly their own independent state. (see Maccabbees around 175 BC) Maybe the better analogy would be if the Aztecs showed up in Mexico City to demand control of the area we know as Mexico. Then again they might control the borders better.

Hate may not be the best word. I believe distrust would be much more accurate.

I can assure you that the pope does renounce terrorism and implores groups like Hamas regularly to put down their weapons. But asking terrorists not to be terrorists isn't exactly an Earth-shattering statement. The Holy Father believes that both sides are culpable in the continuing violence and I don't see how you can look at this conflict and not see problems in the way each side has handled themselves. I don't deny for a second that Israel is greatly put upon as a state and is surrounded by enemies, but it often seems as if the Israeli government is willing to blow up the entire haystack to find the needle.

 

I never said Israel was faultless, but simply that the bulk of the problem lies elsewhere.

 

Israel is left with little alternative. Their enemies have made their goal crystal clear with both their actions and rhetoric.

 

The Arab nations don't have as much care or compassion for the Palestinians as the Israeli's do. They won't allow the refugees into their countries. Why? Because they're using them as leverage to destroy Israel. It has nothing to do with any of these groups being concerned about the well-being of the Palestinians or fighting for their rights...it's all about using them as pawns in their battle to destroy the Jewish state.

 

The world has no backbone. They continuously cave, cater and try to appease a bunch of terrorists. It's mind boggling.