Six Day War 40 years ago.

[The Avon Lady]

Originally Posted by P_Funk

Thats a bit of spin really.

No. That's a fact. Israel returned all of the Sinai to Egypt, territory claimed by Jordan was returned to the Hashemite Kingdom and nearly all of the Gaza Strip and more than 40 percent of the West Bank was given to the Palestinians to establish the Palestinian Authority.

The so called unilateral disengagement moved Israeli troops outside of the borders of Gaza but it doesn't negate the actual control which Israel has over the area.

You mean because that Arabs continue to attack us? Surprise! And so much for control. More weapons and explosives have come into Gaza since Israel left it than ever before.

Israel has maintained control of the waters and air space around Gaza and has routinely cut off the road ways in and out.

Not only that but Palestinians have been encouraged to work inside of Israel while the economy of Gaza itself hasn't been allowed to develop.

How can it develop when the money goes to weapons, terrorist groups and the apartments, villas, Mercedes and Surround Sound home entertainment systems the top thugs (and there are so many!) have treated themselves to?

Now with the tightening of access the GDP has plummeted from whatever meagre stature it had before and unemployment is something like 35%. Poverty has grown exponentially.

Cry me a wadi!

Not only that but when the people of Gaza elect the wrong party to government

Hahahaha! "Wrong party"! Excuses, excuses.......

Israel with most of the western world cut off the money to the Palestinian Authority effectively denying them governance.

And just what was being done with the billions of dollars and euros prior to that? Keep your head in the sand.

So from here you can justify however you like the behavior of Israel given these facts. But Israel has choked the economy of Gaza, segregated its people, and crippled the Palestinian Authority's ability to govern.

No, it is self afflicted. If they can't afford to butcher their neighbor, they should seek some of the alternatives you pity them not having.

Nobody can say that Israel isn't in control of these lands.

The Arabs are responsible for their own quagmire. To quote Abba Eban back in 1973:

"Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity for peace,"

They haven't given anything back, they've reorganized the pieces so that they can disown all responsibility as the occupying force.

[Camaero]

I love that shirt. If I was Jewish, I would get one. I would just feel awkward if I got one otherwise though...

[P_Funk]

Thats exaclty what I thought AL. Predictable. The most powerful nation in the region is totally powerless and not at all responsible for anything that happens. You can't even own up to the reality. Just because Israel is attacked doesn't mean that Israel isn't still trying to exert control over the region. I didn't challenge any of that other tired Israeli propoganda. I just challenged the assersion that Israel had handed over the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. No actually I didn't even say the West Bank. I said Gaza. I also said "a bit of spin". A bit implying not entirely or a portion. I didn't say that Israel didn't return any of the other territories. You make a broad generalized statement, one that persists throughout the media and popular opinion, and I challenged its finer meaning.

Pro Israel speak gets too much leeway. But hey you can't criticize Israel one iota. You always receive a vehement angry assault. Contempt and vulgar attitudes. Its one of the disgusting perversions of modern political discourse that criticism of Israel is made into anti-Semitism.

Tout on AL.