http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/31/us-palestinians-israel-settlement-idUSKBN0GV0D020140831
Yay! In the end, this conflict worked out for the good of everyone!
Israel Radio said the step was taken in response to the kidnapping and killing of three Jewish teens by Hamas militants in the area in June.
Yep. That's the reason. They had no intention of taking the land before that. I see no reason to second-guess them.
Nope, no antisemitism in your post. None what so ever.
If you think criticism is the same thing as antisemitism, your world must be a very cold place to live in.
Well, since the territory doesn't belong to any other state (recognized by the US or Europe or Isreal at least) - nothing really wrong with claiming it.
Well, since the territory doesn't belong to any other state (recognized by the US or Europe or Isreal at least) - nothing really wrong with claiming it.
1) So if Russia grabbed that land, there'd be nothing wrong with that? That's cool.
2) The USA is Israel's strongest ally, and is opposed to the action:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/01/us-criticises-israel-appropriation-land-settlements
“We have long made clear our opposition to continued settlement activity,” a State Department official said. “This announcement, like every other settlement announcement Israel makes, planning step they approve and construction tender they issue is counterproductive to Israel’s stated goal of a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinians.”
Russia would have to fight them for it, the land is under Israel's control at this time.
Russia would have to fight them for it, the land is under Israel's control at this time.
But if Russia took the land before Israel did, you wouldn't mind? And if Russia takes the rest of the Palestine land, you won't mind?
If Russia was at war with the Palestinians and conquered the land, then sure, they could go for it for all I care. And before you ask, I don't mind if space invaders take over the West Bank either.
I understand your point Chris.
1) So if Russia grabbed that land, there'd be nothing wrong with that? That's cool.
They didn't grab it, nor have any plans to. Israel did. So if you think it's cool if Russia grabbed it, than you shouldn't have a problem with Israel grabbing it right? Like I said. Anti-semitism. The ONLY ones you have a problem with is if Israel gets it.
2) The USA is Israel's strongest ally, and is opposed to the action:
Who gives a fuck what they think? It's really none of their fucking business, like most of the problems in the world they stick their noses into.
hey didn't grab it, nor have any plans to. Israel did. So if you think it's cool if Russia grabbed it, than you shouldn't have a problem with Israel grabbing it right? Like I said. Anti-semitism. The ONLY ones you have a problem with is if Israel gets it.
I think his point went COMPLETELY over your head.
Nah, I understand completely. He's a fucking asshole.
Not really, his point was another one...at least as I see it.
Nah, I understand completely. He's a fucking asshole.
What pkrcel said. IF you think what he said was anti-semitic and that hes an ass for saying it, you ENTIRELY missed the point. I'm starting to think you have a bit of a persecution complex.
I'm reluctant to enter into another one of these arguments, but it feels like I have to do so now, so I'll try and make it so I don't have to respond again.
I wouldn't say I see anything antisemitic in this thread, but it does come off as prejudiced, implying jews/israelis/some other group is inherently untrustworthy. However, I don't think that was the intent, rather just a badly phrased message.
With regards to the content itself:
I have no idea who "Israel Radio" is, so I don't know what authority they have to give one reason or another for the act.
I have no source for this in English, but according to my sources:
The claimed territory is what is referred to as "C territories" in the Oslo agreements, i.e. area that is officially under the administration of Israel
There are three possible states for such areas; Government areas, privately owned areas, and areas whose status will be determined later. The claimed areas are of the 3rd variety, so there is no legal reason not to claim them as government areas (i.e. determining that they are now government areas).
If there is reason to dispute the claim, it can be argued in court. There have been several cases where the Israeli supreme court ruled in favour of palestinian claimants, even ruling that existing Israeli houses be evicted and destroyed. If I understand correctly, the law allows 45 days to submit such a dispute, so it remains to be seen what will actually happen.
If we assume the stated reason is the official reason (i.e. "the step was taken in response to the kidnapping and killing of three Jewish teens by Hamas militants in the area in June."), I find it to be a plausible statement. It is possible that the step is punitive (probably Netanyahu flexing to prove he won[1]), it is possible that the step is reasonable (i.e. hoping that taking that territory will improve security), and it is possible that it is just an excuse (i.e. someone wanted that territory and was waiting for a good excuse to take it. So it is indeed a response to the killings, just one that is self serving). My personal opinion is that it is Netanyahu waving his dick around (i.e. a response to the killings - one meant to show Netanyahu is no loser and won't stand for that shit...)...
The USA is Israel's strongest ally, and is opposed to the action
The USA is opposed to all acts of Israeli settlement, so objecting to this specific instance of it is meaningless. This is a bit like posting an article about an execution in the US and saying "See? The US supports the death penalty!" - we all know the death penalty is legal in several US states, that's not new, interesting, or relevant to any specific case. Like any pair of states (allies or not), there are some things they agree on, and some they disagree on.
Well, since the territory doesn't belong to any other state (recognized by the US or Europe or Isreal at least) - nothing really wrong with claiming it.
But if Russia took the land before Israel did, you wouldn't mind? And if Russia takes the rest of the Palestine land, you won't mind?
If Russia was at war with the Palestinians and conquered the land, then sure, they could go for it for all I care. And before you ask, I don't mind if space invaders take over the West Bank either.
They didn't grab it, nor have any plans to. Israel did. So if you think it's cool if Russia grabbed it, than you shouldn't have a problem with Israel grabbing it right? Like I said. Anti-semitism. The ONLY ones you have a problem with is if Israel gets it.
I'll restate that as far as I know, annexing those lands is completely legal and conforms to all existing agreements. That does not mean that it is wrong to dislike it, but it does mean that any claims to its illegality are invalid (at least until it is brought up and settled in court).
I'm starting to think you have a bit of a persecution complex.
I think it is a matter of personal viewpoints and of the prevailing mood. It is undeniable that there is a recent trend of creating threads about whatever it is that Israel is currently doing that you dislike, and of course taking the anti-Israeli point of view. It does create an unpleasant, maybe even hostile, mood[2]. I interpret this as an inherent bias against Israel[3], and I can see how someone could take it a step further from anti-Israel to anti-Israelis or anti-Jews. Everyone has their own experience with life and can interpret what they see in their own way. There definitely is a whole lot of antisemitism world wide, and it definitely effects the foreign policies of other countries (i.e. speaking against Israel purely because of antisemitism), as well as local events (i.e. people shooting up a local Jewish school), so finding (or "finding") it on an international forum is not unlikely.
I dunno. Some people can be a bit distasteful. But does it make me distasteful if I say I'm against invading territory other people are and have been living in for quite some time?
I don't dislike israel, but I don't agree with some of the actions the israeli government takes.
Some people seem to pull out the anti-semite (or racist, or sexist, or whateverist) card whenever people say things that they don't like. It's usually used as a way to shame the other side, say anything to disagree with the actions took by the israeli government, and you get called an anti-semite, hoping that you'll back down from the discussion right then and there.
I tell you what, when I start seeing posts that sympathize with Israel and the attacks against them, one of which killed a 4 year old boy recently, than I will change my tone. But it's all I see. Hamas are firing rockets into Israel, and they are launching them from Palestinian schools, hospitals, mosques so that if Israel even tries to defend its people and take them out, they will more than likely hurt Palestinian children, women and other "innocent" civilians and then the news will anounce on the air about Israeli "agression", it's sickening!
Did you know many of the rockets Hamas fires actually fail and land on Palestinians? I am sure they blame Israel. Also the Hamas like to pass off Hamas militants that get killed by Israel as "innocent Palestinians". You almost never hear about these stories though, just some ignorant, hateful person in here spouting off more garbage like this one. It's one sided and I am sick to death of it, I will not apologize for my responses. Don't like it? Than quit posting antisemitic topics or at the very least, balance it out with some stories of Israel's point of view.
I tell you what, when I start seeing posts that sympathize with Israel and the attacks against them, one of which killed a 4 year old boy recently, than I will change my tone.
Yes. The actions some militants have taken are horrible. I wish they didn't happen. But does that make other wrongs a right?
Talking about hamas or the other terrorists really doesn't do any good. they are extremists who will never, ever listen to anything that approaches reason. They exist out of pure hate. Some of which is perpetuated by actions taken against their people. Best way to create extremists is to bomb and invade their homes.
It's one sided and I am sick to death of it, I will not apologize for my responses. Don't like it? Than quit posting antisemitic topics or at the very least, balance it out with some stories of Israel's point of view.
So you are calling us all antisemitic for even mentioning israel? *sigh* That particular view point pretty much makes it so you can't be taken seriously. Like arguing with a fundamentalist/extremist. Their world view is so locked down, they can't and won't be reasoned with.
But does it make me distasteful if I say I'm against invading territory other people are and have been living in for quite some time?
That is not distasteful. What is distasteful is doing so in a one-sided, repetitive and exaggerated manner.
Being repeatedly riled up about the goings-on of one specific country without regards to any of the details (such as in this case, being a legal action [and if not - the court will revoke it]), seems wrong. Especially while ignoring much more severe actions worldwide (take a look at China, North Korea, Syria etc.). Can you really say that it looks nothing like persecution to constantly bemoan and misrepresent the shaky actions of one country while ignoring outright brutal actions elsewhere?
Can you honestly say you can't see why some people would interpret such actions as racist?
Again, I don't "feel" racism in here, I just see a personal bias against one country that goes beyond disliking some actions it takes.
Furthermore, it is definitely upsetting to see repeated negative remarks that show very little understanding of the actual situation and history. While I don't expect anyone to fully educate themselves on the issue (I mean, do you really have the time to move to another country?
), it feels like trying to argue with Fox News. And having Fox News move into my forums is definitely a disheartening thought 
This is also the point where I would mention that seeing that action an immediately concluding "This is invasion of people's homes" seems like that sort of ignorance, as it both ignores the intricacies of the situation (like, is it wrong for Israel to claim territories that are under its administration and aren't privately owned as its own?) as well as the history of the situation (isn't it wrong for the Greeks/Romans/whoever to invade the homes of Israelis many years ago? Don't they deserve having their homes returned to them?). However, saying these things will very probably cause yet another discussion I really don't want to get into, so I hope you don't take this the wrong way and choose to enter such a discussion (and if you do - I'll try and avoid it if I can).
Talking about hamas or the other terrorists really doesn't do any good.
Those terrorists are the current government of the palestinians.[1]
Some of which is perpetuated by actions taken against their people. Best way to create extremists is to bomb and invade their homes.
See, this is where I start to smell bias and prejudice, because it seems to imply that any offensive action is specifically targeted against "their people", as if bombing a house in gaza is meant to kill some poor family out of the malice of those evil jews/israelis, as opposed to bombing the missile silo that hamas hid under the building.
Now is that really what you meant? I hope not. But after reading lots and lots of these posts I find it harder and harder not to believe that's the case. And if NiteHackr already believes that's the case I feel I cannot fault him.
Though I can find his tone and attitude to be offensive 
So you are calling us all antisemitic for even mentioning israel?
I'd really like to stress here that "even mentioning Israel" is not why you[2] are being called antisemitic, that is a strawman. It is "repeatedly, negatively mentioning Israel" that is the reason why you[3] are being called antisemitic.
And had you[4] repeatedly, negatively mentioned Jews I'd probably agree with that accusation. So far I can only say that it appears that some people seem to me to be holding a personal grudge against Israel in a way that appears to me to be irrational.
With this I shall very optimistically hope that I will not post another comment in this thread or this topic


If there is reason to dispute the claim, it can be argued in court. There have been several cases where the Israeli supreme court ruled in favor of Palestinian claimants, even ruling that existing Israeli houses be evicted and destroyed. If I understand correctly, the law allows 45 days to submit such a dispute, so it remains to be seen what will actually happen.
The last two cases I remember were overridden by the parliament(Kneset).
Append:
[and if not - the court will revoke it])
Well, as i stated above.. In the very best case the court revokes it, & the parliament overrides the decision. And honestly, solely from the view of what's best for Israel in my eyes, that's silly. Don't grab these lands and work on making peace. There is no right or wrong side in the conflict from European value system, as no son is responsible for dad's actions and the conflict is few generations old.
P.S:
Hella text Slartibarbeast. It deserves a lot more attention than it has received, I'll try to arrange a more insightful response.
Nation states are all fairly pathetic entities, that tend to represent the interest of the power-elite rather than the inhabitants of the named territory. One day (hopefully soon) we will grow beyond such childish notions and get over the conspiracy of history.
What is distasteful is doing so in a one-sided, repetitive and exaggerated manner.
I agree, but I don't believe I've done so.
Can you really say that it looks nothing like persecution to constantly bemoan and misrepresent the shaky actions of one country while ignoring outright brutal actions elsewhere?
I for one DONT ignore other countries actions. I complain about Putin, the US, Kim Jong Un, Iran's leaders, and terrorist organizations all the time. Just not on the forums, cause it rarely comes up.
I just see a personal bias against one country that goes beyond disliking some actions it takes.
When a thread comes up about something else I dislike, I'll probably complain about it as well 
And having Fox News move into my forums is definitely a disheartening thought 
Totally agree. Fox News is the news organization that likes to pull out the anti-semite card the most. Rather disgusting. The way they play the name-and-shame game is rather shocking.
(isn't it wrong for the Greeks/Romans/whoever to invade the homes of Israelis many years ago? Don't they deserve having their homes returned to them?)
It was wrong. But again, that was a long time ago. you quite literally can't fix that. It'd be like the US and Canada moving out to give all the land back to the native americans. And most of europe moving back to where they originally invaded from. You just can't think back that far. Our history was too bloody to make reparations for every single transgresion.
You can however not do those same things now and in the future.
See, this is where I start to smell bias and prejudice, because it seems to imply that any offensive action is specifically targeted against "their people", as if bombing a house in gaza is meant to kill some poor family out of the malice of those evil jews/israelis, as opposed to bombing the missile silo that hamas hid under the building.
I'm sure you have heard of Collateral Damage. It's one of the worst things about war. Regardless of what you are targeting, there's going to be a lot of collateral damage whether you like it or not. Innocents will get hurt, or killed, and that tends to create hate and more militants. Explaining it away that you were only targeting "X" doesn't make it any better.
It is "repeatedly, negatively mentioning Israel" that is the reason why you[3] are being called antisemitic.
I'm pretty sure I have not done such a thing. And negatively mentioning a country does not mean you hate it. I also negatively mention the US. Doesn't mean I hate americans. This is why I think some people (in general) have persecution complexes. they see any negativity towards their world view as hatred against them, and then they immediately pull out the -ist card.
Nation states are all fairly pathetic entities, that tend to represent the interest of the power-elite rather than the inhabitants of the named territory. One day (hopefully soon) we will grow beyond such childish notions and get over the conspiracy of history.
That.
I really hate the childish games leaders and countries play. They pretend its on behalf of the majority population, but usually the majority want nothing to do with it. Its just power play. Babies playing with toys.
Yodhe23 wins this thread. I won the previous one with this image. Works for this thread, too:
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Two notes here. A) Hamas does not represent Palestinians, they are not the elected representatives and even the Palestinian government has started to ask Hamas to stop. B) Israel drops leaflets warning the Palestinians when they will bomb and tell them to evacuate ahead of time, which may save Palestinians, but I feel then allows the criminal Hamas to get away as well so... I don't see how they can win with this to be honest. Do the right thing and warn them, and you defeat the purpose because the enemy gets away as well. Don't warn anyone and the world accuses you of genocide, meanwhile hundreds of rockets rain down on Israel and there is not a peep from anyone against it. In fact, the news doesn't say a word until Israel responds. The bombing of Israel has been going on for a LONG TIME now, it is only in the news now because Israel got sick of it and defended itself... which leads to the moronic posts in here against Israel.
Also, Israel sends aid to Palestine all the time, some of that aid was used by Hamas to build tunnels to attack Israel with. You don't hear a lot about the good they do, and we all know why, it's an age old problem of people hating Jews. Apparently they're just supposed to sit in their country, do nothing and be bombed, maybe and smile and say thank you to those that bomb them. We ALL know what would happen if rockets started to rain down on American cities from say, Mexico! Why the USA would scramble their jets and start bombing so fast it would make your head spin! The USA certainly had no problems dropping nukes on Japan when it served their purpose... how many innocent people died in those attacks? Or how about the bombs that levelled German cities in WW2? Or more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. If the Palestinians don't want to be bombed, than they need to stop supporting Hamas and kick their asses out of Palestine.
Why the USA would scramble their jets and start bombing so fast it would make your head spin!
I really dislike the USAs tactics and policies. a lot. just fyi.
Japan committed an act of war against the USA and paid the penalty. As far as I'm concerned, Hamas is reaping what they sow by provoking military responses from Israel.
To turn this meta:
I find it very strange how people feel then need to handle "Israel" topics with kid gloves, but we can talk about slavery, human trafficking, Ukraine and Russia, Police officers killing people, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, the Nanking massacre and more, without people claiming the bigotry card.
That's actually one of the aspects of Israel conversations that fascinate me the most.
For example, in America, slavery is a very hot topic, and understandably for us given our history. But if a white person argues that slavery wasn't "as bad" as some article/venue states, and backs it up with facts: He's on thin ground, but still listened to. If a black man makes the same argument, he's on a little easier ground. Continuing along with similar "hot racial topics", H. K. Edgerton is a black man in South Carolina, who once was the head of the NAACP chapter there, who stepped down to become an activist for preserving confederate history and the confederate flag. That's a very contrary view to established society views in which the confederate flag is nothing but a tool of hatred. He's not in fear for his life. People would still publish his books. He can go to any country he wants.
But if a Jew makes an argument against Israel, he's somehow a bigot both in America and Israel, and banned from entering Israel. Noam Chomsky and Norman Finkelstein, for example, have been denied access to Israel. Finkelstein was denied tenure at his own institution as retribution for his "anti-Israel" stances.
I grew up in a libertarian state. There is no topic that's off limits for both discussion, and comedy--if that's your venue. So it's amazing to me that we can talk about the right to abortions (which may, or may not be murder, a very dangerous topic if one side is actually wrong!) easier than we can talk about the foreign policy of Israel country. Meanwhile, we can talk about the USA's foreign policy and nobody holds a single punch.
The huge disparity, and in my mind, hypocrisy, is what fascinates me. What's so special about the topic? And if it's not merely "historic guilt" or "religious allegiance", what is it? What makes that topic so one-sided, somehow impervious to criticism lest you be called a bigot? And even if it was religious, why do Atheists care?
I mean the mere fact that I have to stress that I'm not supporting Hamas, a terrorist organization, is absolutely insane on the face of it.
Japan committed an act of war against the USA and paid the penalty. As far as I'm concerned, Hamas is reaping what they sow by provoking military responses from Israel.
Exactly!
I am curious Chris Katko, I want to know what actions Israel has taken you think were good? Have they done anything you think deserves credit for being positive, or justified?
Japan committed an act of war against the USA and paid the penalty. As far as I'm concerned, Hamas is reaping what they sow by provoking military responses from Israel.
Yeah but... we eventually gave Japan back, nor did we block humanitarian aid to them. And I'm not concerned with Hamas, to hell with them, but I am concerned with the innocent people in Palestine that should not just be mopped up into "Hamas" just because they're nearby.
I am curious Chris Katko, I want to know what actions Israel has taken you think were good? Have they done anything you think deserves credit for being positive, or justified?
They're a world leader in stem cell research because the USA is too far up it's ass to care about saving lives. They are responsible for some of the greatest medical advances of our time. They have an excellent education system producing a large quantity of scientists, and Intel uses many of them. ICQ was from four Israelis! I could go on.
My issues with Israel is the government's policies, not it's people. Just as I'm sure, many people hate the American government's foreign policy and our congress's inability to do anything except take bribes, but still don't hate every American. The world hated us invading Iraq, but they still listened to Michael Jackson.
I agree, but I don't believe I've done so.
I for one DONT ignore other countries actions. I complain about Putin, the US, Kim Jong Un, Iran's leaders, and terrorist organizations all the time. Just not on the forums, cause it rarely comes up.
When a thread comes up about something else I dislike, I'll probably complain about it as well 
I'm pretty sure I have not done such a thing. And negatively mentioning a country does not mean you hate it. I also negatively mention the US. Doesn't mean I hate americans. This is why I think some people (in general) have persecution complexes. they see any negativity towards their world view as hatred against them, and then they immediately pull out the -ist card.
Which is why there's one of those ref things (which you even quoted) where I explicitly say that I don't mean you specifically. However, these things happen, and in my opinion make some people feel persecuted or unwelcome.
I'm sure you have heard of Collateral Damage.
I understood what you originally meant, so there's no need to clarify. I'm just explaining why what you said (and specifically how you said it) can be seen as racially motivated, especially if you are not the only one saying it, but it is part of a stream of similar comments.
They're a world leader in stem cell research because the USA is too far up it's ass to care about saving lives. They are responsible for some of the greatest medical advances of our time. They have an excellent education system producing a large quantity of scientists, and Intel uses many of them. ICQ was from four Israelis! I could go on.
My issues with Israel is the government's policies, not it's people.
I think he meant more along the lines of Israel providing palestine with aid, or providing essentially free electricity to them (or as I previously mentioned, spending lots of money on technology specifically designed to less effectively kill in order to prevent collateral damage). As in, its government's policies.
For that matter there's also lots of other good stuff, like being one of the first responders to the haiti earthquake, sending many medical personnel and establishing a field hospital (Israel actually has quite a record for disaster relief).
I find it very strange how people feel then need to handle "Israel" topics with kid gloves, but we can talk about slavery, human trafficking, Ukraine and Russia, Police officers killing people, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, the Nanking massacre and more, without people claiming the bigotry card.
If by "we can discuss" you mean it is generally possible to discuss, then you are simply wrong. Many people jump into personal accusations in all of these topics because it is easy, and because people are like that.
If by "we can discuss" you mean this forum specifically, then as I said, there are two main differences here:
1) There's no incessant posting about any one of those topics.
2) Most posts on these topics are relatively well informed and inoffensive.
This is different from how the topic of Israel is discussed in here. From my perspective, constantly having to respond to uninformed accusations is quite tiring and therefore agitating for me, so I'm sure you can see why I'll be pissed off. This is especially annoying when I also have to see much more annoying shit happen on this front daily, say from moronic world leaders, as it is just piling on top of it.
I mean the mere fact that I have to stress that I'm not supporting Hamas, a terrorist organization, is absolutely insane on the face of it.
If you're talking to me, then there has never been a need for that. I do not confuse criticism of one side for support of the other. I also see a fixation on criticizing the policies of some foreign country that does not really affect you, and find that that fixation is itself deserving of criticism. Much like Nitehackr is criticized for jumping on the racism bandwagon, there is legitimate criticism for jumping on the Israel bandwagon.
But if a Jew makes an argument against Israel, he's somehow a bigot both in America and Israel, and banned from entering Israel. Noam Chomsky and Norman Finkelstein, for example, have been denied access to Israel. Finkelstein was denied tenure at his own institution as retribution for his "anti-Israel" stances.
On the one hand that type of censorship is very scummy, on the other hand if you are opposed to the existence of a country as it is, and if you meet up with some of its worse enemies, then I'm not really sure why you should visit that country, and if you should be allowed to. Though that is because I follow the defensive democracy doctrine. So while I can agree with you that that does not sound nice, I have trouble feeling concerned over the issue.
So it's amazing to me that we can talk about the right to abortions (which may, or may not be murder, a very dangerous topic if one side is actually wrong!) easier than we can talk about the foreign policy of Israel country.
I'm sure that if we had a couple of pregnant women on the forum, and if you posted several topics extolling the virtues of abortion you'd eventually find yourself having difficulty discussing the topic
From my perspective, constantly having to respond to uninformed accusations is quite tiring and therefore agitating for me, so I'm sure you can see why I'll be pissed off. This is especially annoying when I also have to see much more annoying shit happen on this front daily, say from moronic world leaders, as it is just piling on top of it.
Do what I did, and ignore the dumb ass youtube comment trolls. Those idiots also frequent many other forums. It is not worth your time or energy to try and convince the ass-hats. Many of them are trolling on purpose, and others are too dumb to consider rational thought.
I'm sure that if we had a couple of pregnant women on the forum, and if you posted several topics extolling the virtues of abortion you'd eventually find yourself having difficulty discussing the topic 
It depends on his view points, and the intelligence of the women. I think even some/many pregnant women would consider abortion under some circumstances (assuming they weren't too far along... which is a hairy subject in and of itself).
I'm just explaining why what you said (and specifically how you said it) can be seen as racially motivated, especially if you are not the only one saying it, but it is part of a stream of similar comments.
People only see it as a racial issue if they want to. Most of the people (in general and just not on this site) who are commenting about Israel are neither Jewish, nor Arabic and don't care about either side racially. Instead, people see it as a David vs Goliath situation, and nobody is ever on Goliath's side. We just love our underdogs too much.
Do what I did, and ignore the dumb ass youtube comment trolls. Those idiots also frequent many other forums. It is not worth your time or energy to try and convince the ass-hats. Many of them are trolling on purpose, and others are too dumb to consider rational thought.
You got that right! It's an endless process to try to have a rational discussion with uninformed trolls there. I still get sucked in, but I am getting better at ignoring them. 
I think he meant more along the lines of Israel providing palestine with aid, or providing essentially free electricity to them (or as I previously mentioned, spending lots of money on technology specifically designed to less effectively kill in order to prevent collateral damage). As in, its government's policies.
Yup, that is what I meant. They also provide medical aid to Palestinians and drop leaflets warning of impending attacks.
People only see it as a racial issue if they want to. Most of the people (in general and just not on this site) who are commenting about Israel are neither Jewish, nor Arabic and don't care about either side racially. Instead, people see it as a David vs Goliath situation, and nobody is ever on Goliath's side. We just love our underdogs too much.
It doesn't matter about the power of either side. What matters is that Hamas is firing rockets at random Israeli targets, innocent civilians and nobody sees that as a problem, or if they do in here, they certainly are not vocal about it, but as soon as Israel defends itself (and they waited a lot time and put up with a lot of missiles before they finally attacked and we heard nothing on the news while Hamas fired missiles constantly and Israel didn't respond!), BANG, people are quick to criticize. I find it very hypocritical to condemn Israel to bombing innocent civilians but not to condemn Hamas for bombing innocent targets, and that is why I call racism. I guess that 4 year old boy that was bombed in Israel deserved it. The difference being that, there were no missiles launched at Hamas from his home, unlike in Palestine.
I find it very hypocritical to condemn Israel to bombing innocent civilians but not to condemn Hamas for bombing innocent targets
I see your point. But consider that most people will just plain out condemn hamas and other terrorist organizations[1].
Where as they will criticize some actions Israel takes. I think there's a pretty big difference there.
To extend what Thomas is saying, we don't bother condemning Hamas for the same reason we don't say things like "This water is wet!" It simply doesn't need to be said, because everyone outside of Hamas knows that what they're doing is wrong.
I wonder if anybody here has a viable alternate strategy for Israel to protect itself other than permanently remaining on the defensive.
Apparently doing what the US does is ok. So they could just nuke em. 
To be honest, I don't have a fn clue. This isn't an easy subject. No matter what you (israel) do, you're going to make someone mad and people are going to die.
Israel simply has to do what South Africa did, which is recognize that two(+) people live in one land, and slowly transform themselves into a plural society.
and slowly transform themselves into a plural society
The trend of the time seems to be against that though, look at Scotland right in the heart of old Europe - after 100ds of years in a union they want to separate.
People only see it as a racial issue if they want to.
Because it is always someone else's fault when you say something that seems racist to them :S
Most of the people (in general and just not on this site) who are commenting about Israel are neither Jewish, nor Arabic and don't care about either side racially.
How does being neither jewish nor arabic relate to being racist? The KKK aren't all jews and arabs, in fact I'm pretty sure neither is allowed in
Instead, people see it as a David vs Goliath situation, and nobody is ever on Goliath's side. We just love our underdogs too much.
Well, david was jewish 
More seriously, yes, I understand the reason for your bias, but if you admit to bias surely you can admit that when seeing this bias in action it is possible and understandable to mistake the cause of such bias for something it is not (i.e. racism).
As I previously said, I agree that many people jump to the race card purely as an ad-hominem attack, however that does not mean that everyone does so.
I don't know, maybe because you are from Australia, which does not have a racial problem, you are unaware of such issues (now see? This definitely looks like an ad hominem, however it is strictly speaking just a criticism of Australia's behaviour in the Evian conference; However in reality this is just me crafting a comment designed to be innocent on its face but having a lot of tension instilled in it, so I hope you don't get offended or consider me racist or prejudiced.).
Israel simply has to do what South Africa did, which is recognize that two(+) people live in one land, and slowly transform themselves into a plural society.
You can't really have a pluralistic society in "the state of the jewish people", nor should Israel cease being "the state of the jewish people", though the arab citizens of Israel (~20% of Israel's population) do get all of the rights the jews get (except for being drafted to the military and what comes with that, and with less funding for religious institutions [which should be 0NIS for both jews, muslims and christians imo]), so in a way Israel is already a pluralistic society. However, as much as I'd like Israel to be fully equal and have a full freedom of religion, I still want it to be the home of the jewish "race" as there is no other place on earth where they can be fully safe from persecution.
More seriously, yes, I understand the reason for your bias, but if you admit to bias surely you can admit that when seeing this bias in action it is possible and understandable to mistake the cause of such bias for something it is not (i.e. racism).
I actually have no bias in this issue, because I honestly don't give a damn about either side. I have no interest at all in the middle east, and doubt I ever will. I was merely making an observation on how most people view the situation (most people also don't really give a damn about either side as it doesn't affect us).
I don't know, maybe because you are from Australia, which does not have a racial problem, you are unaware of such issues (now see? This definitely looks like an ad hominem, however it is strictly speaking just a criticism of Australia's behaviour in the Evian conference; However in reality this is just me crafting a comment designed to be innocent on its face but having a lot of tension instilled in it, so I hope you don't get offended or consider me racist or prejudiced.).
First, I'm not from Australia, it's just where I currently reside. Secondly, Australia has terrible racial problems. Until the 1960s, it was perfectly legal to hunt Aboriginal Australians. Their children were also forcibly removed from their families and given to white people to raise because that would be "better" then letting them be raised by "animals."
The situation has improved in the last 40 years, but it's a long way from being good. And the attitudes over here to anyone from just about anywhere else is also quite appalling.
Basically, humans suck. I used to think that there would probably be a way for everyone to live peaceably. These days, I really doubt it.
edit:
How does being neither jewish nor arabic relate to being racist? The KKK aren't all jews and arabs, in fact I'm pretty sure neither is allowed in
Because racist outsiders are just as likely to hate both sides if race was the sole motivation. But since it's the Israelis that keep getting singled out, there's a good chance that there's more involved then just racism.
The jewish race...
Now you are really making things up.
Are those who believe in races racist?
Are those who believe in races racist?
Well, races do exist, nobody would deny that. But wanting a state for people with a certain race is as racist as you can possibly get, yes
And if it's for a religion instead of a race then that's even worse.
The jewish race...
Now you are really making things up.
s/jewish race/jewish nationality/g if that makes you happy, this is why I wrote 'jewish "race"' and not 'jewish race' as you seem to imply.
As an example, I consider myself (among other things) a jewish atheist.
Quite ironic isn't it? 
Fanatics are all the same, different flags, different colors but they all behave the same.
Quite ironic isn't it? 
Fanatics are all the same, different flags, different colors but they all behave the same.
Just wondering, what is that a reference to? That comment seems a bit out of place to me.
Sure you can talk about races, if you define race being black, white or whatnot skin colour and other differencies. But for me
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what
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(both are Labrador Retrievers),
not what
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In a perfect world, race, nationality... whatever you wish to call it, shouldn't matter. We should all live in peace and harmony, passing out flowers to each other or whatever. But in the REAL world, there are people that it matters to. people that want you dead purely because of your race. So that means it is imperitive that we secure land of our own where we can raise our children and live with a certain amount of peace. We should be allowed to defend said land when it is attacked without hesitation and the blame for ANY deaths should be laid squarely at the feet of the ones that attacked in the first place.
In this case, the Hamas attacked, Israel defended, so the blame for any casualties lays squarely on the Hamas!
By the way, after WW2, when the Arabs controlled Israel and the Palestine area, a proposal was offered that would create a state for Israel AND a state for Palestine and the Arabs rejected it outright! And Israel has been attacked ever since. The only reason why the surrounding nations lost any land to Israel was because in 1967 they attacked Israel and lost, and they lost big time. Had it not been for the USA interfering, Israel would have drove it's tanks straight into Egypt after totally defeating their military. But the USA made some phone calls and Israel didn't go farther.
They have a right to the land, they have a right to defend it and as far as I am concerned, they should have blown that Dome of the Rock to tiny bits a long time ago as it is built upon THEIR holy temple!!!
Some bastards taught their children to hate.
"the state of the jewish people"
That's a hella problem. As a citizen of Israel, I strictly oppose this fact. Israel has to be state of Israelis, not state of Jews. Even though I fall under the law of legal immigration to Israel as a Jew. I can't legally marry in Israel however, because I'm not Jew enough. I mean it.
Some bastards taught their children to hate.
Not necessarily bastards though. Sending kids to a school does the trick in most cases in most countries I believe. Some north eastern Europe(like Finland or Sweden) maybe exception of course. As well as some other countries here and there, and of course select schools in any country. And well, it's more complex than that but my thesis is clear.
The teaching of hate has to start early to really ingrain it in a person's psyche. It doesn't even have to be intentional, or explicit.
Nitehackr you seem to have fallen into the trap of believing the lies of "historical revisionism".
Despite what you claim, and it has been established as fact, Israel attacked first in the 1967 conflict, by launching air strikes on Egypt. Whether this was to preempt an attack or not is a matter of debate (and there is no conclusive evidence either way), but the fact remains that the 1967 war was actually started by Israel, but I know that isn't what is taught in Israeli school it seems, but makes me wonder what other "history" they teach in Israeli schools.
Have a look at this Ntehackr,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_relating_to_the_Six-Day_War
Maybe when you start to question the "narrative" that is spewed upon us civilians by our governments, you will understand a part of the message of Orwell's 1984.