If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options
Essential support for under 25s
Essential support for under 25s
Take a look around and enjoy reading the discussions. If you'd like to join in, it's really easy to register and then you'll be able to post. If you'd like to learn what this place is all about, head here.
Comments
Maybe that has got something to do with the fact that he pays their families whenever a new suicide attack has been made? Maybe thats why they don't listen?
Don't they have it already?
Countless* UN resolutions...
1. Missed the moment when anyone has suggested that. I think we all agree that the Palestinians have a part to play in the cause of conflict.
2. No, Israel should stop occupying Palestine Territory. Palestinaians should stop killing Israelis - suicide bombs achieve nothing.
Do you honestly believe that what has apparently happened in Jenin is actually going to help the peace process. Israel has a history of human rights violations (including murder) and their actions in Bethlehem aren't peaceful either...
3. Israel should get rid of Sharon. From day one of his leadership Israel has been heading for this.
I would question whether Arafat has actually had a chance to make much impact, due to the restriction placed on him from the start...
but then I would also question the wisdom of having terrorists as you 'police' force too...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edited to add:
* Countless = I can't be bothered to count them. But I know it is more than one ( and less than 1000 <IMG SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0" ALT="icon"> )
[ 23-04-2002: Message edited by: Man Of Kent ]
Sorry maybe I got you wrong.
The UN is an impotent irrelevence..
The Palestinians need widespread public support.
That is what I have been hearing around town...
Did you quote me by mistake there mate?
If you didnt then this is what it will achieve..
I would say that most people in this country have sympathy for the Palestinian cause, I certainly do even though im very pro-Israeli....The thing that keeps most people from being actively pro-Palestinian rather than supporting their cause in theory, is the suicide attacks on civilians.
There are very, very few people here in Britain that will support a group who sets off bombs in public places with the sole intention of killing and maiming women and children.
If the Palestinians stop the suicide attacks and confines themselves to valid military targets then they will get a massive upsurge in actual support from the UK population....The government will follow the people.
If they keep up the bombings then they will have a bunch of people here in the UK that sympathise with their cause but are unwilling to support them because of these bombings.
Same goes for most western nations(including the US)
that is the point I was trying to highlight, I don't think for a second thate vne if the Britain was more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli that it would affect government policy.
The only this would happen is if it was a serious election issue which is also not going to happen........
If you are talking about the one where I mentioned Arafat after quoting you, then just let it slip. I think that I got what you said wrong...
I very strongly disagree...Theres nothing more important to this government in particular, than staying in power. If they see that the vast majority of the public are strongly in favour of Palestine then they will act.
Im sure youre aware that im no fan of the UK political system but youre being a little too cynical for me today <IMG SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
Why exactly dont you think the govt would do anything? I dont see why they wouldnt change policy if the large majority wanted it..
If they are not at risk of losing power over this issue then they can do what they want........
Im a little confused here...Do you know something I dont? Does our government have a vested interest in Israel continuing on its current path?
I cant believe you honestly believe what you are saying. That majority wishes and the very foundations of democracy are ignored..
Ill ask again....Why wouldnt the government change policy if we all wanted them to? What possible reason would they have not to?
I am not suggesting they would never change the policy I just don't think they would do it if the public wanted them to but didn't find it to be an issue imprtant to there lives
Diplomatically more favourable? EH?
I take it youre talking about the US there right? Well as I said, the same thing would happen over there(although to a lesser extent).
Damn....Why do you even bother with politics? The way you talk it sounds like you think nothing will ever change unless its directly inthe interest of politicians and affects their lives on a daily basis.
I got that impression from a quote of you (I presume it was you, the top one said it was you and the rest I presumed to be continuations) in Jaq's post at the top of page 4:
It seemed to mean only one thing to me. Badly worded, perhaps, but even if not implying that they are all terrorists, it does imply that you consider all Muslims worthy of your contempt, which would be bigotry and hateful...
It certainly does not imply that I consider all Muslims worthy of contempt, and I'm disgusted by the allegation. Frankly, if you can't grasp the meaning of that sentence then you need to learn to read. I genuinely can't see a way in which my words could be construed in the manner you describe.
Read some of my other posts before accusing me based on your own misunderstanding of my words.
I misunderstood because when reading it I saw Muslims, not Muslim, thats how my mistake came about.
But it is still true of some people, and it is something which has annoyed me severly in the past 6 months, so I used the (wrong) example to vent my frustrastions.
When the state of Israel was created hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had there homes and possesions taken from them by Israeli settlers who moved straight into Palestinian homes. Thousands and thousands of Palestinian homes have been demolished in the occupied territories because they were built without permission from the Israel authorities, permission which is almost impossible to get. Israel has tortured tens of thousands of Palestinians as well since it was created and regularly shot at unarmed civilians.
This website has loads of information about how Israel has mistreated the Palestinians over the years.
[ 24-04-2002: Message edited by: stealgate ]
support the decriminalisation of Cannabis.
support the reintroduction of the death penalty.
want lower fuel taxes.
are against the introduction of the Euro.
want the rail system renationalised.
do not support PFI schemes.
The government does not do what the people want......
I agree. Giving the Palestinians a Palestine would be the ideal solution, as the loss of the occupied territories would not in reality make much practical difference to Israel. The problem, though, is that it has great symbolic importance to Israelis, they see it as theirs, and are completely unwilling to conpromise, which means the situation is bound to go on and on. The Israeli and Palestinian conflict appears to be largely based on great stubboness on both sides, and although I agree that the Israelis are treating the Palestinians atrociously, and I thing Sharon is a madman, the Palestinians are not helping their case by sending out suicide bombers. This just rallies the ordinary Israelis round to Sharon's pov and gives them an excuse to hate and mistrust themm.
Someone needs to break out of this mad cycle!
That made me laugh... Suddenly the Israeli army is a terror organization, I wonder why no one thought of that when the same "terrorist" group, bombed our dear friend Saddams nuclear factorys...
Its so naive thinking that the Israelis are the terrorists, when all they do is act in selfdefence. But I guess that if someone threatens you with a knife then you just let them... But of course to be on the extra safe side you would offer your kids first.
I guess that is how many people would act in real life, judging out of their comments on the conflict.
And for Stealgate: It is so dead easy to claim a country to be yours AFTER the seeds have been planted, and after all the job has been done for you.
There is Palestinian land and there is Israeli land, much of the Palestinian land is occupied by the Israeli army, do you get it, do you understand what is happening?
no, if you are the Israeli army then you blow them up and bulldoze there house! <IMG SRC="mad.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
All of those issues are controversial and are very close run things. Most of them are around about 50/50 more or less..Same as the current situation with regard to Israel..
As I have already said, widespread public support, IE 75%+, would force the government to change its policies.
Theres no reason that the Government wouldnt change policy, but equally there is no reason why they would either. The Labour Government has shown itself to ignore public opinion on enough occasions already.
Oh, and Blair would have to ask Bush for permission first, seeing as how Blair wants to be the US's lapdog, and the US arent likely to agree given their dependence on the Jewish vote in elections.
I cant believe im hearing this....No reason they would? With a large majority of public opinion urging them to change?
Balddog what is the scenario that you are imagining?
Say several recent polls have suggested that 75% of the population sympathise more with the Palestinians than the Isaralis. The Labour govt continues to offer tacit support to Israel and refuses to condemn there actions, what then?
Kermit why must you return to your "Jewish Mafia" theory, how many Jews voted for Bush I wonder?
Im not talking just polls..Im talking protests, letters, campaigning etc etc.
Maybe I just have more faith in human nature than you two but I believe that if the British people were subjected to pictures of Israeli military action in Palestine without the accompanying dead Israeli children in buses, then im sure that support would be massive.
But you still haven't explained what you think people would do if they supported Palestine.
Can you imagine the average person in the street writing to theie MP or going on a march in support of the palestinian cause, I can't