Israel and Zionism

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Those who enable Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and other Jew-hating murderous regimes skate free and easy though. No corrupt leaders at the top in those outfits. Riiiiiiiight.

Same old story. Anti-Israel apologists sound empathetic and informed but they're just as willfully ignorant as those who want only Israel's destruction. Pathetic.

edit: changed "of" to "as"

[a fan]

I must have missed Americas news anchor report where Hamas has dialed back its promise to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. How is Israel suppose to address that promise from Hamas and other terrorist groups? Let me guess.. a cease fire so Hamas can get their chit together and continue to kill Jews. Y'all may despise Bibi. He doesn't play the game y'all want him to play. Hamas started this war and Bibi doesn't play by your rules. The Palestinians chose Hamas to represent them. Hamas doesn't give 2 chits about dead Palestinians. The end justifies the means. I keep wondering why all of the elitist liberals on this forum could care less about Hamas hiding behind the skirts of the Palestinian people? Rhetorical question, the forum liberals don't care about the Palestinian people any more than Hamas does. Bibi may not be able to eliminate Hamas. He does have the ability to make them a shell of what they were. Always remember....WAR IS HELL. Those aren't my words but they they are still just as true today as they ever were.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....we Americans behaved FAR worse when we were hit on 9/11.

War in Afghanistan and Iraq. Droning. Wiping out ISIS. All of these had MASSIVE civilian casualties. And most of these operations had multiple countries helping us wage war.

No one complained, save the far, far left.

[NattyBohChamps04]

Israeli MP galls for Gaza to be erased from the face of the Earth. https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-gaza-genocide

More Israeli politicians calling for "erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth" and to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza - https://apnews.com/article/israel-pales ... 0f8a030724

Weird that.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Some good news for a change...

You know what is incredibly telling about this post? Read down from the original. Do you notice any of the more "liberal" folks on these boards conspicuous by their absence? Not. A. One. Could muster a, "Yeah, good news." Nothing. Radio silence. Speaks volumes. And liberals always pass themselves off as wanting to be fair and loving and compassionate to everyone. What a steaming pile of horse manure.

[a fan]

Israeli MP galls for Gaza to be erased from the face of the Earth. https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-gaza-genocide

More Israeli politicians calling for "erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth" and to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza - https://apnews.com/article/israel-pales ... 0f8a030724

Weird that.

Protip: if you don't want people to threaten to wipe you off the face of the Earth?

Don't use the slogan "From the River to the Sea"....and say that slogan over and over, all over the world, like you're talking about taking the Wine Trail in Napa Valley......instead of talking about massacring every Jewish person in Israel.

[NattyBohChamps04]

Israeli MP galls for Gaza to be erased from the face of the Earth. https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-gaza-genocide

More Israeli politicians calling for "erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth" and to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza - https://apnews.com/article/israel-pales ... 0f8a030724

Weird that.

Protip: if you don't want people to threaten to wipe you off the face of the Earth?

Don't use the slogan "From the River to the Sea"....and say that slogan over and over, all over the world, like you're talking about taking the Wine Trail in Napa Valley......instead of talking about massacring every Jewish person in Israel.

For sure. I'm just tired of the whole one-sidedness being spun by so many, so I like to give counter-examples.

Plenty of terribleness to go around on all sides for decades to centuries.

[a fan]

Israeli MP galls for Gaza to be erased from the face of the Earth. https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-gaza-genocide

More Israeli politicians calling for "erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth" and to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza - https://apnews.com/article/israel-pales ... 0f8a030724

Weird that.

Protip: if you don't want people to threaten to wipe you off the face of the Earth?

Don't use the slogan "From the River to the Sea"....and say that slogan over and over, all over the world, like you're talking about taking the Wine Trail in Napa Valley......instead of talking about massacring every Jewish person in Israel.

For sure. I'm just tired of the whole one-sidedness being spun by so many, so I like to give counter-examples.

Plenty of terribleness to go around on all sides for decades to centuries.

Then we are very much on the same page.

[cradleandshoot]

Israeli MP galls for Gaza to be erased from the face of the Earth. https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-gaza-genocide

More Israeli politicians calling for "erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth" and to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza - https://apnews.com/article/israel-pales ... 0f8a030724

Weird that.

Protip: if you don't want people to threaten to wipe you off the face of the Earth?

Don't use the slogan "From the River to the Sea"....and say that slogan over and over, all over the world, like you're talking about taking the Wine Trail in Napa Valley......instead of talking about massacring every Jewish person in Israel.

For sure. I'm just tired of the whole one-sidedness being spun by so many, so I like to give counter-examples.

Plenty of terribleness to go around on all sides for decades to centuries.

Then we are very much on the same page.

I understand the hatred between Jews and Muslims has existed for thousands of years. If they can't find a way to coexist in peace then they will die in a never ending conflict of hatred and mistrust. I'm not a big fan of Bibi. He is as hard-line as they come. Sometimes as repugnant as it is your only option is to fight. When Hamas declares it is willing to live in peace with the Jews then the foundation for a 2 state solution will have been laid. If anyone out there thinks a cease-fire solves anything they are fooling themselves. A ceasefire is a brief respite to catch your breath, reorganize and regroup and commence with the blood letting all over over again, until the next cease fire.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Israeli MP galls for Gaza to be erased from the face of the Earth. https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-gaza-genocide

More Israeli politicians calling for "erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth" and to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza - https://apnews.com/article/israel-pales ... 0f8a030724

Weird that.

Protip: if you don't want people to threaten to wipe you off the face of the Earth?

Don't use the slogan "From the River to the Sea"....and say that slogan over and over, all over the world, like you're talking about taking the Wine Trail in Napa Valley......instead of talking about massacring every Jewish person in Israel.

For sure. I'm just tired of the whole one-sidedness being spun by so many, so I like to give counter-examples.

Plenty of terribleness to go around on all sides for decades to centuries.

Then we are very much on the same page.

I understand the hatred between Jews and Muslims has existed for thousands of years. If they can't find a way to coexist in peace then they will die in a never ending conflict of hatred and mistrust. I'm not a big fan of Bibi. He is as hard-line as they come. Sometimes as repugnant as it is your only option is to fight. When Hamas declares it is willing to live in peace with the Jews then the foundation for a 2 state solution will have been laid. If anyone out there thinks a cease-fire solves anything they are fooling themselves. A ceasefire is a brief respite to catch your breath, reorganize and regroup and commence with the blood letting all over over again, until the next cease fire.

It’s not a see spot run issue.



I definitely don’t have an answer. I need to dust off the book How The Great Religions Began that my father left behind.

[PizzaSnake]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/worl ... trich.html

“Israeli judges have long ruled that Israel’s control of the territory is a temporary military occupation and complies with international law. A powerful minister’s recent speech, caught on tape, suggested the government is trying to change that.

The reporters reviewed a recording of a recent speech given by Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right Israeli cabinet minister spearheading efforts to cement Israeli control over the occupied West Bank.

An influential member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition told settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that the government is engaged in a stealthy effort to irreversibly change the way the territory is governed, to cement Israel’s control over it without being accused of formally annexing it.

In a taped recording of the speech, the official, Bezalel Smotrich, can be heard suggesting at a private event earlier this month that the goal was to prevent the West Bank from becoming part of a Palestinian state.

“I’m telling you, it’s mega-dramatic,” Mr. Smotrich told the settlers. “Such changes change a system’s DNA.”

While Mr. Smotrich’s opposition to ceding control over the West Bank is no secret, the Israeli government’s official position is that the West Bank’s status remains open to negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that Israel’s rule over the territory amounts to a temporary military occupation overseen by army generals, not a permanent civilian annexation administered by Israeli civil servants.”

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Netanyahu: I tried addressing ‘diminution’ of US weapons privately before going public
PM extends spat with Biden, but insists it can be solved ‘instantaneously with goodwill’; doesn’t say which arms withheld, but they’re needed now ‘to win in Gaza, avoid war in Lebanon’

By JACOB MAGID FOLLOW 6.21.24


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his decision to call out the Biden administration for allegedly withholding weapons shipments to Israel, claiming in an interview published Friday that he had tried to resolve the issue privately for months with no success.

“We tried, in many, many quiet conversations between our officials and American officials, and between me and the president to try to iron out this diminution of supply,” the premier told the Punchbowl news site. “I felt that airing it was absolutely necessary after months of quiet conversation that did not solve the problem.”

The comments were the latest in the back-and-forth spat with the Biden administration that began on Tuesday when Netanyahu issued a video statement slamming the “inconceivable” “bottlenecks” that the US had placed in transferring shipments of weapons and ammunition and claiming that he had raised the issue during his meeting last week with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who assured him that Washington would address the issue.

The video shocked the Biden administration, which has insisted that it had no idea what Netanyahu was talking about. There was one shipment of high-payload bombs that was held up last month due to US fears that it would be used in the then-crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, but all other transfers are continuing at a regular pace, the US has insisted.

On Thursday, the White House went further, calling Netanyahu’s video “deeply disappointing” given that “there’s no other country that’s done more or will continue to do more than the United States to help Israel.” Netanyahu retorted that he was prepared to incur such criticism as long as Israel “receives the ammo it needs from the US in an existential war.”

The premier has yet to specify which weapons the US has been withholding from Israel, but he told Punchbowl, “I’m not talking about F-35s or F-16s that are years down the line.”

“I’m talking about what is necessary now to both win the war in Gaza quickly and avoid a war in Lebanon that — in the absence of such a correction — the risks of it breaking out are increasing,” Netanyahu claimed.

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the decision to publicly air his grievances was opposed by Netanyahu’s top aides Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, who were in Washington Thursday for meetings with their American counterparts.

The move came a week before Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s trip to Washington where he was aiming to unfreeze the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs, leading some analysts to speculate that Netanyahu’s video was aimed at ensuring the premier would receive the credit if the US agreed to move forward with the transfer.

Asked whether the alleged weapons slowdown can be solved, Netanyahu told Punchbowl, “I think it could be solved instantaneously with goodwill. It could be solved right away.”

He was then pressed on his speech he’s slated to give to a joint session of Congress next month, which a growing number of Democrats say they won’t attend.

Netanyahu insisted that he isn’t partisan and that the vast majority of Americans support Israel. “I intend to speak to the broad spectrum of the American people and to cull [sic] bipartisan support that is still solid in America, and we need it to stay solid.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who signed off on Netanyahu’s invitation to address Congress, in March gave a speech calling for early elections in Israel to replace the Israeli premier who he branded an obstacle to peace.

“I think that democratic countries should not interfere with the democratic processes of other countries,” Netanyahu said regarding those remarks by Schumer. “I think that that’s a rule that I’ve tried to live by. But I can’t say that others have abided equally to us. It’s wrong to do that. It shouldn’t be done.”

But Democrats have long accused Netanyahu of violating that rule, pointing to the last time he gave a speech to a joint session of Congress in 2015. That address was organized behind the back of then-US president Barack Obama so that Netanyahu could lobby lawmakers against the Iran nuclear deal that the administration went on to sign.

The premier was then pressed to address criticism from the Biden administration that his refusal to properly plan for the post-war management of Gaza has led to a stagnation in the fighting. Hamas has managed to return to many of the areas cleared by the IDF because Israel hasn’t advanced a viable alternative to the terror group’s continued rule, critics have charged.

Netanyahu didn’t push back against the premise of the question as he has often done in the past. Instead, he offered some general details of how he envisions the administration of Gaza after the war.

“I think we’re going to have to have sustained demilitarization, which can only be done by Israel against any resurgent terrorist effort,” Netanyahu said.

“But I think there has to be a civilian administration to administer not only the distribution of humanitarian aid but also civil administration. That has to be done… with the cooperation of an inter-Arab sponsorship and assistance by Arab countries,” he said.

This time, he avoided naming the countries he’d like to see help in the effort. In a previous interview, he identified Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as potential partners, leading to fierce backlash from those capitals. Both have insisted that they will not take part in the post-war stabilization of Gaza absent an Israeli commitment to a pathway to a future Palestinian state — a vision Netanyahu has flatly rejected.

Netanyahu told Punchbowl that another component of Gaza’s post-war stabilization would be “some kind of deradicalization process that would begin in the schools and the mosques to teach these people a different future than the one of annihilating Israel and killing every Jew on the planet.”

He added that the reconstruction of Gaza would largely be advanced by the international community.

War erupted when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern communities on October 7, murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages to Gaza.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 37,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far. The toll, which cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, is thought to include some 15,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu ... ng-public/

[PizzaSnake]

“ “We created a separate civilian system,” Mr. Smotrich said. To deflect international scrutiny, the government has allowed the defense ministry to remain involved in the process, he said, so that it seems that the military is still at the heart of West Bank governance.

“It will be easier to swallow in the international and legal context,” Mr. Smotrich said. “So that they won’t say that we are doing annexation here.””

Nice duplicity.

[cradleandshoot]

I must have missed Americas news anchor report where Hamas has dialed back its promise to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. How is Israel suppose to address that promise from Hamas and other terrorist groups? Let me guess.. a cease fire so Hamas can get their chit together and continue to kill Jews. Y'all may despise Bibi. He doesn't play the game y'all want him to play. Hamas started this war and Bibi doesn't play by your rules. The Palestinians chose Hamas to represent them. Hamas doesn't give 2 chits about dead Palestinians. The end justifies the means. I keep wondering why all of the elitist liberals on this forum could care less about Hamas hiding behind the skirts of the Palestinian people? Rhetorical question, the forum liberals don't care about the Palestinian people any more than Hamas does. Bibi may not be able to eliminate Hamas. He does have the ability to make them a shell of what they were. Always remember....WAR IS HELL. Those aren't my words but they they are still just as true today as they ever were.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....we Americans behaved FAR worse when we were hit on 9/11.

War in Afghanistan and Iraq. Droning. Wiping out ISIS. All of these had MASSIVE civilian casualties. And most of these operations had multiple countries helping us wage war.

No one complained, save the far, far left.

At the same time the bad actors weren't threatening to wipe us off the face of the earth. They sent the message of the extent of their hatred towards the USA. How many more times do I have to say it a Fan...WAR IS HELL. We didn't have any military reason to fire bomb Dresden outside of Churchill wanting revenge for the V1 and V2 attacks on England. The US had no military significant reason to firebomb Tokyo. Roosevelt had no justification for sending Japanese Americans to internment camps. I could go on and on and on. War is Hell my man and often times the rule book gets kicked to the curb. If any one on this forum expects that fact to change they are fools. That doesn't make it palatable but it never will change the reality about what happens when war becomes the first option. When folks finally understand what Gen. Sherman so boldly and clearly stated then and only then the message will sink in.

[PizzaSnake]

I must have missed Americas news anchor report where Hamas has dialed back its promise to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. How is Israel suppose to address that promise from Hamas and other terrorist groups? Let me guess.. a cease fire so Hamas can get their chit together and continue to kill Jews. Y'all may despise Bibi. He doesn't play the game y'all want him to play. Hamas started this war and Bibi doesn't play by your rules. The Palestinians chose Hamas to represent them. Hamas doesn't give 2 chits about dead Palestinians. The end justifies the means. I keep wondering why all of the elitist liberals on this forum could care less about Hamas hiding behind the skirts of the Palestinian people? Rhetorical question, the forum liberals don't care about the Palestinian people any more than Hamas does. Bibi may not be able to eliminate Hamas. He does have the ability to make them a shell of what they were. Always remember....WAR IS HELL. Those aren't my words but they they are still just as true today as they ever were.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....we Americans behaved FAR worse when we were hit on 9/11.

War in Afghanistan and Iraq. Droning. Wiping out ISIS. All of these had MASSIVE civilian casualties. And most of these operations had multiple countries helping us wage war.

No one complained, save the far, far left.

At the same time the bad actors weren't threatening to wipe us off the face of the earth. They sent the message of the extent of their hatred towards the USA. How many more times do I have to say it a Fan...WAR IS HELL. We didn't have any military reason to fire bomb Dresden outside of Churchill wanting revenge for the V1 and V2 attacks on England. The US had no military significant reason to firebomb Tokyo. Roosevelt had no justification for sending Japanese Americans to internment camps. I could go on and on and on. War is Hell my man and often times the rule book gets kicked to the curb. If any one on this forum expects that fact to change they are fools. That doesn't make it palatable but it never will change the reality about what happens when war becomes the first option. When folks finally understand what Gen. Sherman so boldly and clearly stated then and only then the message will sink in.

So, what does the phrase “war crime” mean to you and how should it be defined? Geneva Convention and its stipulations re non-combatants?

Or are there no rules?

[cradleandshoot]

I must have missed Americas news anchor report where Hamas has dialed back its promise to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. How is Israel suppose to address that promise from Hamas and other terrorist groups? Let me guess.. a cease fire so Hamas can get their chit together and continue to kill Jews. Y'all may despise Bibi. He doesn't play the game y'all want him to play. Hamas started this war and Bibi doesn't play by your rules. The Palestinians chose Hamas to represent them. Hamas doesn't give 2 chits about dead Palestinians. The end justifies the means. I keep wondering why all of the elitist liberals on this forum could care less about Hamas hiding behind the skirts of the Palestinian people? Rhetorical question, the forum liberals don't care about the Palestinian people any more than Hamas does. Bibi may not be able to eliminate Hamas. He does have the ability to make them a shell of what they were. Always remember....WAR IS HELL. Those aren't my words but they they are still just as true today as they ever were.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....we Americans behaved FAR worse when we were hit on 9/11.

War in Afghanistan and Iraq. Droning. Wiping out ISIS. All of these had MASSIVE civilian casualties. And most of these operations had multiple countries helping us wage war.

No one complained, save the far, far left.

At the same time the bad actors weren't threatening to wipe us off the face of the earth. They sent the message of the extent of their hatred towards the USA. How many more times do I have to say it a Fan...WAR IS HELL. We didn't have any military reason to fire bomb Dresden outside of Churchill wanting revenge for the V1 and V2 attacks on England. The US had no military significant reason to firebomb Tokyo. Roosevelt had no justification for sending Japanese Americans to internment camps. I could go on and on and on. War is Hell my man and often times the rule book gets kicked to the curb. If any one on this forum expects that fact to change they are fools. That doesn't make it palatable but it never will change the reality about what happens when war becomes the first option. When folks finally understand what Gen. Sherman so boldly and clearly stated then and only then the message will sink in.

So, what does the phrase “war crime” mean to you and how should it be defined? Geneva Convention and its stipulations re non-combatants?

Or are there no rules?

The rules also say you don't use innocent civilians as human shields. It looks like you either don't know or don't care. Your throwing the term " war crime" around rather loosey goosey without an apparent understanding that Hamas is deliberately putting human lives in harms way. If Hamas is itching so badly to fight the Israeli Army then stop being cowards and come out and fight. FTR do you think Hamas cares how many Palestinians die so they can conduct their war against Israeli?
War is Hell my man and the rules only become relevant when both sides obey them. That is a concept that is not that difficult to understand.

[PizzaSnake]

I must have missed Americas news anchor report where Hamas has dialed back its promise to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. How is Israel suppose to address that promise from Hamas and other terrorist groups? Let me guess.. a cease fire so Hamas can get their chit together and continue to kill Jews. Y'all may despise Bibi. He doesn't play the game y'all want him to play. Hamas started this war and Bibi doesn't play by your rules. The Palestinians chose Hamas to represent them. Hamas doesn't give 2 chits about dead Palestinians. The end justifies the means. I keep wondering why all of the elitist liberals on this forum could care less about Hamas hiding behind the skirts of the Palestinian people? Rhetorical question, the forum liberals don't care about the Palestinian people any more than Hamas does. Bibi may not be able to eliminate Hamas. He does have the ability to make them a shell of what they were. Always remember....WAR IS HELL. Those aren't my words but they they are still just as true today as they ever were.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....we Americans behaved FAR worse when we were hit on 9/11.

War in Afghanistan and Iraq. Droning. Wiping out ISIS. All of these had MASSIVE civilian casualties. And most of these operations had multiple countries helping us wage war.

No one complained, save the far, far left.

At the same time the bad actors weren't threatening to wipe us off the face of the earth. They sent the message of the extent of their hatred towards the USA. How many more times do I have to say it a Fan...WAR IS HELL. We didn't have any military reason to fire bomb Dresden outside of Churchill wanting revenge for the V1 and V2 attacks on England. The US had no military significant reason to firebomb Tokyo. Roosevelt had no justification for sending Japanese Americans to internment camps. I could go on and on and on. War is Hell my man and often times the rule book gets kicked to the curb. If any one on this forum expects that fact to change they are fools. That doesn't make it palatable but it never will change the reality about what happens when war becomes the first option. When folks finally understand what Gen. Sherman so boldly and clearly stated then and only then the message will sink in.

So, what does the phrase “war crime” mean to you and how should it be defined? Geneva Convention and its stipulations re non-combatants?

Or are there no rules?

The rules also say you don't use innocent civilians as human shields. It looks like you either don't know or don't care. Your throwing the term " war crime" around rather loosey goosey without an apparent understanding that Hamas is deliberately putting human lives in harms way. If Hamas is itching so badly to fight the Israeli Army then stop being cowards and come out and fight. FTR do you think Hamas cares how many Palestinians die so they can conduct their war against Israeli?
War is Hell my man and the rules only become relevant when both sides obey them. That is a concept that is not that difficult to understand.

Really? Interesting notion. I don’t agree with this position.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

If I were Israel, I'd send armed IDF personnel to accompany the Israeli athletes (if they even feel safe enough to attend and participate) everywhere they go while they're in a country overrun with Jew-haters. I'll be shocked if there aren't multiple incidents against Jews throughout the Games.

[cradleandshoot]

I must have missed Americas news anchor report where Hamas has dialed back its promise to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. How is Israel suppose to address that promise from Hamas and other terrorist groups? Let me guess.. a cease fire so Hamas can get their chit together and continue to kill Jews. Y'all may despise Bibi. He doesn't play the game y'all want him to play. Hamas started this war and Bibi doesn't play by your rules. The Palestinians chose Hamas to represent them. Hamas doesn't give 2 chits about dead Palestinians. The end justifies the means. I keep wondering why all of the elitist liberals on this forum could care less about Hamas hiding behind the skirts of the Palestinian people? Rhetorical question, the forum liberals don't care about the Palestinian people any more than Hamas does. Bibi may not be able to eliminate Hamas. He does have the ability to make them a shell of what they were. Always remember....WAR IS HELL. Those aren't my words but they they are still just as true today as they ever were.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....we Americans behaved FAR worse when we were hit on 9/11.

War in Afghanistan and Iraq. Droning. Wiping out ISIS. All of these had MASSIVE civilian casualties. And most of these operations had multiple countries helping us wage war.

No one complained, save the far, far left.

At the same time the bad actors weren't threatening to wipe us off the face of the earth. They sent the message of the extent of their hatred towards the USA. How many more times do I have to say it a Fan...WAR IS HELL. We didn't have any military reason to fire bomb Dresden outside of Churchill wanting revenge for the V1 and V2 attacks on England. The US had no military significant reason to firebomb Tokyo. Roosevelt had no justification for sending Japanese Americans to internment camps. I could go on and on and on. War is Hell my man and often times the rule book gets kicked to the curb. If any one on this forum expects that fact to change they are fools. That doesn't make it palatable but it never will change the reality about what happens when war becomes the first option. When folks finally understand what Gen. Sherman so boldly and clearly stated then and only then the message will sink in.

So, what does the phrase “war crime” mean to you and how should it be defined? Geneva Convention and its stipulations re non-combatants?

Or are there no rules?

The rules also say you don't use innocent civilians as human shields. It looks like you either don't know or don't care. Your throwing the term " war crime" around rather loosey goosey without an apparent understanding that Hamas is deliberately putting human lives in harms way. If Hamas is itching so badly to fight the Israeli Army then stop being cowards and come out and fight. FTR do you think Hamas cares how many Palestinians die so they can conduct their war against Israeli?
War is Hell my man and the rules only become relevant when both sides obey them. That is a concept that is not that difficult to understand.

Really? Interesting notion. I don’t agree with this position.

The rules often get tossed to the curb when the bullets start flying. Any suggestions how the Israeli military should deal with Hamas while they imbed themselves into the civilian population? Their objective is to get people like yourself to think the way you do. That is your opinion and I understand it and disagree with it. I'll say it again, if Hamas wants to fight the Israeli Army then come out of hiding and fight. What warrior with any integrity hides behind women and children? It sucks for sure but the only option your handing to the Israeli Army is to do nothing. That is exactly what Hamas wants them to do.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

“Ambushed and slaughtered again, while the rest of the world is playing games--Olympic torches and brass bands—and dead Jews in Germany. And the world couldn’t care less.”

Golda Meir commenting on the world’s reaction after 11 Jews participating in the Olympics were executed.

In one form or another--I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again in France.

[a fan]

“Ambushed and slaughtered again, while the rest of the world is playing games--Olympic torches and brass bands—and dead Jews in Germany. And the world couldn’t care less.”

Golda Meir commenting on the world’s reaction after 11 Jews participating in the Olympics were executed.

In one form or another--I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again in France.

McKay's coverage with his "they're all gone" line, is etched in my memory...... I was only 6 years old when that happened.

Security will be full on bananas in France.