Word is that Israel are to send ground troops into Gaza in the next few hours. IDF (Israel defence Force) are advising people in North Gaza to evacuate. My question would be where to?

Its technically true, because Israel didn't really exist, but arguably they were fighting to establish a Jewish home state (most of them having been partisans in WW2). Whether Israel would have ever been established without their actions is open to debate. Probably, but no where near as soon.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]

The Hamas Charter makes for interesting reading, regardless of whichever "side" one supports:

"Article 7 of the Hamas Covenant provides the following quotation, attributed to Mohammed:

"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews."

Article 22 states that the French revolution, the Russian revolution, colonialism and both world wars were created by the Zionists or forces supportive of Zionism:

"You may speak as much as you want about regional and world wars. They were behind World War I, when they were able to destroy the Islamic Caliphate, making financial gains and controlling resources. They obtained the Balfour Declaration, formed the League of Nations through which they could rule the world. They were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments, and paved the way for the establishment of their state. It was they who instigated the replacement of the League of Nations with the United Nations and the Security Council to enable them to rule the world through them. There is no war going on anywhere, without having their finger in it."

Article 32 of the Covenant refers to an antisemitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion:

"Today it is Palestine, tomorrow it will be one country or another. The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying."

That right there is pretty much why....With exceptions I support Israel.

Everything they Hamas stand for is what I would fight against.

Take Hamas away and I think the case for balance pushes the demand for a state far harder. A two state UN led and enforced solution with some method of ensuring no attack on Israel....Maybe no military allowed or whatever....Maybe a permanent UN base....I don't know.

Hamas literally stab their own people in the back for the convenience of power. They know what buttons to push to keep the right in charge in Israel and everytime Israel attacks Gaza they cement themselves in.

We need the Labour party in charge in Israel and the moderates in charge for the Palestinians.

It isn't going to happen.

Stalemate.

Edited by Stirlingsays (13 Jul 2014 2.10pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

There are always a lot of fringe meetings at conference, one was on the plight of school children in Palestine. He spoke at it. There were also speakers from Spain, Cuba and America.

A massive glossing over on Hamas there because it didn't suit their narrative....But for the most part it's pretty accurate.

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)