If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
In 2008, Israel responded with a brutal aerial bombardment and ground invasion that left more than 1,000 Palestinians dead. November's conflict left about 150 Palestinians dead. How do you explain the stark difference in the death toll?
Plato may have inadvertently summed up the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 2,500 years ago when he is thought to have declared: "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
Prophet Muhammad is history's first major figure to condemn collateral damage in word and deed. His advanced rules of war established 1,400 years ago a yet unmatched humanitarian standard. And herein lies the solution to modern conflict.
It is true that Israel officially disengaged from the Gaza Strip in August 2005, withdrawing its ground troops and evacuating the Israeli settlements there. But the testimonies of Israeli army veterans expose the truth of that "disengagement."
The only solution is the two-state solution, and the time for the United States to join the Arab League and European leaders to press for it is now.
Now that the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has begun to take effect (at least for now), it's time to begin to assess the outcome of the war, and where we go from here.
I wanted to write a short note and share our feelings here in Israel, now that over 550 rockets have been fired towards our cities. Just a few moments ago, the air raid sirens in Jerusalem began to ring yet again.
What lies behind this latest round of attacks and counter-attacks? Hard to say why Hamas decided to take on Israel's leadership on the cusp of a national election when anything short of unremitting Israeli retaliation would undermine Netanyahu's "security first" campaign platform.
After the strike on Ahmad Jabari, the question now is what form this new round of fighting will take, and whether it can produce a longer-term quiet or lead to a far worse situation in both Gaza and southern Israel.
It is time for Hamas to realize that it holds the key to the future of its own people. Israelis will not move towards peace as long as Hamas, a central player and crucial part of Palestinian society will not endorse peace explicitly.
I'll admit the analogies don't always hold up until the last act, but you'll get the similarities between the memorable opera favorites and the complicated figures that are currently gracing our nation's political stage.
Senator Kirk, we are your constituents. It's not too late for you to acknowledge that your earlier call for military action against us jeopardizes our safety and to reverse your claim which insinuates that we are dangerous people.
The Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, amounting to what is internationally recognized as an apartheid system, could end in peace, with Israel abandoning paranoia and racial violence to allow peace.
It was exactly two years ago, as Gaza resident and Palestinian doctor Izzeldin Abuelaish was preparing for an interview with an Israeli TV station, that the unspeakable happened.
Today, the siege on Gaza continues with no end in sight. Truckloads of wheat reportedly sit idle on a conveyor belt that has acted as a lifeline to Palestinians. And now, military violence against Gaza has escalated again.
Goldberg has had an epiphany: if Israel continues on its current course, it is finished. Although in the past, he always believed that Israel would choose democracy over occupation, he is no longer sure.
