Israel To Build 700 Apartments In East Jerusalem

No country on earth has it's capital questioned by another country. NOT ONE.

Jerusalem was never a capital of any country in history except for Israel.

Jerusalem will never again be a divided city.

When Jordan controlled the eastern portion of the city after the war in 1948 they did not build. They did not care for the rights and protections of its citizens or make the religious sites open to world. In fact it was the opposite. Synagogues were demolished.

As for the Palestinians, the PLO which was created in Egypt BEFORE Israel reclaimed east Jerusalem, didn't much care for Jerusalem either.....that is, until after the Six Day War when Israel captured and unified the city. Then it all of a sudden became a convenient rallying cry. The Palestinians have no claim whatsoever to the city and we should stop placating their baseless demands. Let's bring the expectations down to reality and then maybe we will be able to get something done.

Jerusalem will stay united. It will stay free. Jerusalem will stay the eternal capital of Israel.
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Leadership, Obama Style, and the Looming Losses in 2010: Pretty Speeches, Compromised Values, and the Quest for the Lowest Common Denominator

This article is probably the best one I've read and I'm a voracious reader.

I was a supporter of Obama's after the primaries but was always wondering if he would have the guts to follow through on the rhetoric. I know that Obama didn't run on saving the country from the worst recession since the Great Depression. However, considering the state we were in after Jan. 10, can anyone honestly claim that this is the best we could have done?

"With Bush, I couldn't stand his speeches because I knew he meant what he said. I knew he was going to follow through with one ignorant, dangerous, or misguided policy after another. With Obama, I can't stand them because I realize he doesn't mean what he says -- or if he does, he just doesn't have the fire in his belly to follow through."

Unfortunately, a truer statement has not been heard.
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Reid's Gifts To Nelson And Landrieu Push Snowe Further Away

"I just think that, in all fairness to all parts of the country, I think it is important that the policy be equitable" So said Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). In other words she didn't get what she was extorting from Reid for her support of the health care bill.

As a friend of mine says constantly "there are two kinds of politicians in this country Demicrooks and Republicrooks .

To paraphrase Al Pacino in A Scent Of A Woman: 'you're bums, the lot of ya. And Mary (Landrieu), Ben (Nelson), Joe (Leiberman), wherever you are out there, F*(K YOU TOO!
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Israel: British Arrest Warrant For Tzipi Livni Threatens Ties

You know why many conflicts don't get resolved? It's the same reason that climate debates don't get resolved; the press' belief that there is always right on both sides and therefore there must be a middle ground. Its akin to giving equal air time to those who say the earth is flat to those who have science and facts on their side.

In the Arab Israeli conflict the press is basically giving the Arabs' (or Palestinians' in this case) terrorism a moral equivalence to Israel defending itself and retaliating to numerous attacks.

"BOTH countries" are not committing war-crimes. Israel doesn't !!target!!! civilians while Hamas and Hezbollah do exactly that. "BOTH countries" !!are not!! held accountable for their atrocious conduct. Accountability is strictly reserved for Israel's actions while the Palestinians always seem to get a pass b/c of their position. I put "BOTH countries" in quotes because as of today "Palestine" is not a recognized state, fyi.
About Israel
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Israel: British Arrest Warrant For Tzipi Livni Threatens Ties

Israel was taking a beating by rockets fired from Gaza - land that was unilaterally given up by Israel to the Palestinians. The land was supposed to be a launching pad for the nascent Palestinian state. Instead they used it as a launching pad to bomb civilian communities in neighboring Israel. This continued for EIGHT years without the world community saying a thing!

Imagine what would have happend had they actually built their state and show the world they intended to live as a peaceful member of the world community.

Israel was perfectly justified in retaliating for those attacks. None of us would have put up with our own governments' inaction for so long.

We need to start holding the Palestinians up to a higher standard if they want to join the world community. They can't get a free pass every time and then blame everything on Israel. Grow up and take some responsibility for yourselves!!
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Dean: Senate Bill Is 'Real Reform,' A Needed Antidote To GOP Propaganda

While I have been a critic of Obama since he took office (not strong or engaged enough on issues), I have to say that this health care "compromise" isn't the worst that could happen (we obviously could have done better had Obama actually put more political capital into it from the beginning though).

In order to get true health care reform passed the administration should have kept the issue as simple as possible, e.g. "Midicare for everyone" should have been the call to arms. This would have been so simple for people to understand that it would have been a much easier fight to fight. By allowing a Medicare buy in at 55 we are VERY slowly getting to where we want to be; a public plan for everyone (now if only we could do away with the "buy in" as well...).

We all must realize that Medicare IS a public plan, plain and simple. Now what we have to do is lobby to keep pushing the goalposts so that it encompasses everyone from cradle to grave. Sure, our taxes will go up but since we won't have to pay for health insurance anymore almost everyone will end up ahead. If you're not ahead then congrats! That means you're in the very top tax bracket. I'm not saying that 'tongue in cheek'. I aspire to the top tax bracket just like everyone else.
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Bailout Watchdog: Obama Foreclosure Plan Inadequate, New Direction Needed

I love Elizabeth Warren. She's doing exactly what she was brought in to do. That being said, however, why are we looking to keep the housing bubble inflated? Instead we need to CONTROL the deflation of the housing bubble.

The people who loaned money, knowing that the loan would never be able to be paid off, should be arrested for fraud or extreme negligence. The people who took those loans, that were misled or lied to, should get some assistance but that doesn't mean they should get to keep a house they had no business buying in the first place.

There were many responsible people who, because of the housing bubble, were priced out of buying a home. If all we do is focus on trying to keep people from losing their homes and therefore keep housing prices from coming down to their proper level then all were accomplishing is keeping the housing bubble artificially inflated and keeping real buyers from being able to afford to buy a home.

Where there was fraud or criminal negligence, let the government assist/prosecute.

Where there wasn't, let the market do it's thing. The responsible people in this country deserve a shot at a home and shouldn't be punished for being responsible and NOT taking out an irresponsible mortgage!
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America Without a Middle Class

POST #1 While you can't blame the administration for getting us into this mess we should absolutely blame them for doing a poor job of getting us out. Obama needs to hire a Wall St. trader who knows that you first ask for everything and then start negotiating. That way you have a chance of getting something close to what you really want. This isn't rocket science just common sense. Don't be so naive and think others will feel so contrite that they just give up. Instead this administration asked (meekly, I might add) for what they wanted and then had even that negotiated away.

They did a poor job.

This was Obama's 9/11 on a worldwide economic scale. He has to learn what "landslide" & "mandate" actually means.

He could have said "Medicare for all" - very nice and simple and by using that as a starting point for negotiations, he would have gotten MUCH more then the paltry bill they're talking about now.

As for the banks there is almost too much that could/should have been done to go over, but here's a short list of what they should have done:

(cont.)
About The Recession
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America Without a Middle Class

POST #2

(cont.)

1) Nationalize the zombie banks and then sell them back out to the public when the market recovers (like Sweden in 1992). This would have dealt with most of the issues that we're dealing with right now, i.e. bonuses divorced from reality, updating lending standards, restructuring the mortgages (which I think is totally wrong if they were legal and did not mislead the borrower - those borrowers deserve to go under. It would also have the benefit of having the housing market come down more and let people who were responsible a chance to afford a home!

2) Transaction tax on Wall St. It would have a negligible effect on investors but would curb speculation that only helps those institutions pad their pockets but adds little else to the overall economy (unless you still believe in trickle down) Oh, did I forget to mention that it would bring in over $150 BILLION PER YEAR, according to the CBO, to help fund the bailouts of Wall St that helped create this mess. I say "helped" b/c the public has to take responsibility for their role in taking out bad loans and the gov't their part in destroying meaningful regulation over the years.

The list could go on and on. The Obama administration has let a great opportunity slip away through timidity and weakness. Let's hope that that is not his lasting legacy.
About The Recession
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Ahmadinejad: Iran Will Enrich Uranium Even More

Who exactly is going to attack Israel "unmercifully at GREAT loss of life and limb, particularly in the Tel Aviv area and Ben Gurion Airport. Dimona.." if they take out Iran's nuclear capability? Also "Iran with ten nuclear bombs is not a threat - it is a nuclear stalemate"?! Really? Iran has already stated their intentions to wipe Israel off the map. What makes you think there would be a stalemate? Are you relying on Iran NOT following through on their threats? Its a dangerous game you're playing...­..with someone else's life! Very courageous of you.

Don't let Iran get nukes!
About Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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Ahmadinejad: Iran Will Enrich Uranium Even More

There is no country in the world, nuke power or not, that brazenly supports terrorist groups and and the same time also calls for another country's destruction. Sometimes you can't just hope that the leaders of a country are merely speaking in hyperbole.

We have to act and not allow Iran to have nukes.

Everyone is allowed to own a knife too but if someone says "I'm going to get a knife and then I'm going to kill you", you don't wait until he's standing over you with a knife to say STOP!!

Sorry. But the second Iran called for the destruction of another country, they lost their right to have nukes.
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EU Draft Document On Division Of Jerusalem

Why do people keep on believing that if the Palestinians are given everything they want that they will then live in peace? In 2000 Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza. The Palestinians were given exactly what they wanted. 'Judenrein' or "Cleansed of Jews"!

There wasn't a Jew, a soldier and outpost left...not­hing. Everything was withdrawn.

How did the Palestinians respond?

Did they build roads, schools, sanitation, industry,.­..? Nope. They were given more than they had ever gotten from anyone else. The Brits never gave them as much under the British Mandate. The Egyptians never gave them a thing. The Jordanians too (Black September anyone?)

So what did they do? They looted everything that was given to them by the international community (remember the hot houses among other things?) that was meant to give them a start and then they used Gaza to launch rockets at Israel.

Why should Israel keep on giving land when they get no assurances of peace?

No one trusts peacekeepers anyway.

Until the Palestinians can prove they can rule their own people -and it is their responsibility to do so- then Israel must not give up land, a tangible asset, for peace, a non-tangible promise.
About Israel
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EU Draft Document On Division Of Jerusalem

While we're at it why don't we add all other hot spots all over the world that have seen much more death and destruction than all the Arab/Israeli wars COMBINED!



How about Darfur? Chad? Tibet? Kurdistan? This list could go on and on and all of them would have more need than Palestinians, who have rejected innumerable peace offers over the years.



As Abba Eban (a noted dove) once said about the Arabs: They never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.



Besides, the UN couldn't 'administer' a coat check. They are a joke.
About Israel
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EU Draft Document On Division Of Jerusalem

Comparing the ghettos of Warsaw under the Nazis to anything the Palestinians are dealing with is a common tactic by either the willfully uninformed, uneducated or plain anti-Semites. There is no comparison. NONE.



Also, I guess you don't really know the story about Solomon do you. Solomon THREATENED to split the baby in order to find the true mother. Then the baby was handed over to its rightful owner. NOT SPLIT. Today Israel is the one saying that Jerusalem will never again be undivided while the Palestinians are saying 'split the baby'. So I ask you....wha­t do you think Solomon would do??



How do you feel about the government­.....or to put it in your words "the world family" deciding what you can keep of your own backyard?
About Israel
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Obama Administration To Shame Lenders That Don't Offer To Modify Mortgages

Whining?! That's the new strategy? We thought we elected a warrior but instead we got a wimp!!



This is what's going to happen: The banks will be called out b/c they are not restructuring the mortgages of people who never should have taken out these loans to begin with and then the market is going to respond by RIGHTFULLY rewarding those banks. Their stocks will go up and they will laugh at those who think they should be "shamed" into restructuring those bad loans.



If the administration wants to actually do something then it has to use the power of legislation. It's the only power they have.



Shame doesn't exist anymore. Not on Wall St. and not on Main St. Main Street shamefully took out loans they couldn't afford and Wall St. shamefully took advantage of people who would never have been able to understand the terms of the loans they were offering.



Thankfully, anarchy hasn't hit yet, so the rule of law is the only way to get something done.

Maybe next time we'll elect someone who has some teeth (That goes 2X for the Congress).
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Israel Readying New Cutting-Edge Arms To Meet Iran Challenge

I'm sorry but the Gaza invasion was VERY long overdue. The citizens of Sderot had been subjected to rocket attacks for....not days....no­t weeks or months but YEARS! Would you be OK with the US government sitting back for years as US citizens took hit after hit with civilians getting killed? Israel unilaterally pulled out of Gaza and Hamas decided to use that territory as a base for their killing machine. They could have taken a different route and decided to build a country. It was their choice. Israel had already proven that it had NO interest in Gaza. Why don't you ask how come the other Arab counties wouldn't help the Palestinians get their country off the ground! They simply USE the Palestinians to take away any focus on their own corrupt oligarchs, monarchs, dictators.­...

The Gaza operation was, sadly, justified.
About Israel
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Israel Readying New Cutting-Edge Arms To Meet Iran Challenge

I take it you've never even taken a rudimentary class on the Middle East.

Israel gave up the Sinai (twice actually '56 & '78). Taba to Egypt in '89. They gave up territory to Jordan ('94). They withdrew from Lebanon (UN certified). They UNILATERALLY withdrew from Gaza, uprooting their own citizens in the process - while getting NOTHING in return.



To recap: Israel gives up territory while, AT BEST, they get a piece of paper with promise.



While Israel certainly doesn't have any love lost for the Palestinians, you're even wrong on your allegations of "no real interest". Israel has a keen interest that Palestinians have something of their own so that they will hopefully start concentrating on their own lives instead of just trying to destroy someone else's. Who do you think helped the Palestinians with all of the hot houses and other expensive investments after Israel's withdrawal from Gaza? Not their Arab brothers!! NOOOOOO. It was mainly from Israelis and Jews worldwide. Check it out!

What was the payback? The infrastructure was looted and destroyed in the first few weeks and then Hamas began using the territory to bomb Israeli civilians. They bombed Sderot for eight years until finally Israel had had enough and was forced to go after Hamas in Gaza.



P.S. When the operation was finished, they withdrew..­...again.
About Israel
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Israel Readying New Cutting-Edge Arms To Meet Iran Challenge

"no recent history (1000 yrs) of war-like tendencies"????

Your lack of knowledge is boundless.

Does the Iran-Iraq war mean nothing to you?? It lasted only around eight years (1980-1988) so maybe you missed it (or weren't born yet). Although the war was started by Iraq, Iraq declared a cease fire in 1982 when they realized that they weren't getting anywhere. They suggested that they both send soldiers to fight Israel in the Lebanon war that began that year. In 1983 Iran saw an opening because of their overwhelming numerical superiority. They didn't care how many of their own soldiers would be killed. Eventually they thought they would be able to simply overrun Iraq. They stated "The Road to Jerusalem Goes through Karbala,". Don't you just love how even then they included Israel in their hatred!

In all over ONE MILLION soldiers dies on both sides with countless civilians. (FYI by comparison 80k deaths combined in ALL Arab/Israel wars!)

Every ask why so much attention is paid to this conflict and so many UN resolutions are on the books against Israel considering just how small the conflict is in the bigger scheme of the worlds other conflicts?!
About Israel
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Bill Clinton To Speak To Democratic Senators About Health Bill

I sincerely hope that Pres. Clinton can convince these people to get this done. At least Clinton had the courage to get in front of the debate. He may have been criticized for not including Congress but he was better than Obama who hasn't taken the lead or gotten involved in the fight.

Either way, Congress has to realize that they lost the majority NOT because of Clinton's over-reaching or what I call his courage. They lost because of Congress's COWARDICE in not having the conviction of doing what needed to be done.

If hindsight is 20/20 then we must look at Dems vs. Repubs in Congress. Dems lost because they were seen as waffling and wavering even when they were on the right side of the general public on policy issues. They were not decisive! The Republicans, on the other hand, were on the opposite side of the general public on policy but they won elections in spite of that because they knew how to govern and get things done....even if they were the wrong things!!

Dems - go get a pair and do what you know needs to be done. If not, expect to lose and lose big. Again, it won't be because you tried to over-reach, i.e. courage. It'll be because of your cowardice!!
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Lieberman Willing To Sink Health Care Reform... But He Would Really Hate To Do It (AUDIO)

We have heard many times over the past years that health care has been a Democratic issue. If this was truly the case then we need to get present AND FORMER Democratic leaders involved in this battle. We've all been listening to Senators and Congresspeople tell us that we're closer than we have been to real health care reform since the inception of Medicare. If this is the case then we need to enlist the likes of former President Clinton and former Vice-President Al Gore to both push and remind everyone what health care has meant to the party and in fact the nation. I realize that they may be hesitant to get involved since they are no longer involved in politics and it is customary for former leaders not to get involved. However, if they truly believed in health care reform back then, then they must realize that this is a once in a generation opportunity that we must not let pass and that their efforts can be the push we need to get this done.

Please, everyone, DRAFT OUR FORMER LEADERS!!

Check these web sites for contact info on Al Gore and Bill Clinton:

http://www.algoresupportcenter.com/contactal.html

http://www.clintonfoundation.org/contact/

Most of all, don't be afraid of contacting Senator Lieberman and !!!politely!!! ask him to support the current bill!

http://lieberman.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm?regarding=issue
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OBAMA ONLINE -- Where Are The Young Supporters?

"STRIKE WHILE THE IRON'S HOT". Instead, the Obama Administration (OA) has let many "once in a generation" opportunities pass. The OA attempted bipartisanship not realizing the obvious; the opposition has no interest in working with the administration.



When the sky was falling financially at the very beginning of Obama's term the OA failed to enact any legislation whatsoever that would have avoided a repeat performance. Now that the iron has cooled the OA is showing that it has no teeth. It's barely attempting to push any meaningful legislation to regulate derivatives (worth $250-$300 TRILLION or 17X our GDP!), break up those institutions that are "too big to fail" ("Don't end it. Mend it!") and change the structure of risk that lead to the meltdown in the first place.



On health care, Obama's so called "signature issue" the OA made the mistake of "learning" from the Clinton debacle by going to the other extreme and leaving Congress completely in charge of the legislation. The president needs to be a leader not a wing-man here. It's OK to lose a battle. It's unacceptable to not get in the game!



To be fair, and I don't mean to contradict what I just said but, we DO need some patience on some issues. We need to understand that SOME initiatives NEED time in order to be done correctly.



On issues that matter most, to paraphrase Madeleine Albright, by not doing anything "...this is not cojones," she said. "This is cowardice."
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Nobel Prize Means No US or Israeli Attack on Iran

Ledluck, you need to understand a few essential points.

1. Iran has publicly and repeatedly stated their intentions of destroying a recognized state - Israel.

2. Iran according to the EU and the US, sponsors terrorists. That means they supply them with assistance like weapons and money etc.

3. Saying that Israel is small is..... like saying Bush wasn't the best president we've ever had. You're understating the point...a little.

Two nuclear detonations annihilate Israel's population centers. It would leave over 90% of Israel uninhabitable from radiation for the foreseeable future.



When the Soviets attempted to put nuclear weapons in Cuba, President John F. Kennedy was willing to go to war to protect our hemisphere.



Imagine just how much more ballistic we would have gotten had the Soviets announced their intentions, on numerous occasions, to bomb the US, using Cuba as it's launching pad!



The stakes were high then.



The stakes are higher now.



When it comes to nuclear warfare you don't have the luxury of sustaining a first hit and then using superior firepower in your retaliation. And Israel is simply too small.



How can we ask Israel to take a MUCH bigger risk than we were ever willing to take? No country would put itself at that kind of risk and neither should Israel.
About Israel
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Tampa Town Hall On Health Care Reform Disrupted By Violence (VIDEO)

Here's an idea that's right out of the Republican playbook - they are not patriotic and don't belive Americans are good enough to do this (make health care universal in th US).

I suggest everyone send this to their Senators & Congressperson: Find yours here -

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Feel free to copy and paste!



Dear Senator,

Why don't Democrats use the same tactics that Republicans have used against Democrats for the past eight years and just call them anti-American?! The French, Dutch, Germans, Swiss and others have had universal care for over 50 years and the Republicans say we can't do it here in the US?! They must not believe in America. They obviously have no faith in American ingenuity when they protest that Americans will fail where all other industrial western countries have succeeded! We cannot stand for this kind of anti-Americanism in this day and age. Patriots never say die. Patriots believe in American ingenuity and have faith that we can do things better. That better days lay ahead of us. Ronald Reagan was right. "I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead."

Sincerely,
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Jewish Dem Talking Points Link Obama To Bush On Settlements

Hi Tex. As a Jewish American I can speak for....myself.



If anyone says that Israel/US relations is a Republican/Democratic issue they would simply be lying. This is a non-partisan issue, plain and simple. When you read through these posts about people against supporting Israel, you are witnessing the lunatic fringe of the left (yes, we've got one too) that is simply against anything that Bush supported. They are as much an embarrassment to Democrats as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and others are to the right.



US support for Israel, contrary to paranoid anti-Semites, has little to do with the "Israel lobby". Israel is simply the only democratic nation in the Middle East. They hold the same values that the US has and are natural allies in every respect. They are surrounded by nations that have repeatedly tried to wipe them off of the map and continue to call for Israel's destruction. There isn't another single democracy in the world that has to contend with what Israel has to deal with on a constant basis.



The Arabs have used the Palestinian issue for generations for their own purposes. The only reason that "Palestine" does not yet exist is because the Arab countries have rejected every opportunity handed them because they have preferred to keep the issue alive as a rallying point to deflect any attention from their own corrupt monarchs, oligarchs and tyrants.
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Claire McCaskill Lays Down Law On CEO Compensation

Kudos to Senator McCaskill for bringing up something that desperately needs to be discussed in this nation - the vast pay discrepancy between the top and bottom of our workforce. I don't care which sector we are talking about, whether it's the auto sector or Wall St., the fact that the top income 1% earn OVER 400% more than the bottom HALF of society is simply immoral. In the 80's when Reaganomics ruled the land, the margin between the top 1% and bottom half was closer to 30%. Didn't any of these people learn business ethics in school?
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Mitchell Bard is Wrong On Israel

I'm glad you have finally read at least some of the Geneva Convention. Now if you simply believe that the only problem with the mosques, schools and other targets being hit is that Israel didn't warn the civilians beforehand, we might be able to get somewhere.

Unfortunately though reports out of Gaza from journalists all over the world substantiate that Hamas has in fact used mosques, ambulances and other normally "off limits" areas for military purposes, which clearly violates international law. The journalists have also reported that before Israel began to fight back they had warned civilians about the coming actions.

I simply don't see where Hamas has a legitimate leg to stand on. I guess that is one of the many reasons that even Arab governments have been somewhat subdued in their condemnation of the current conflict.
About Palestinian Territories
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Mitchell Bard is Wrong On Israel

While we can all go back and forth about how this all started, one thing must be clear. The responsibility of the civilians near hospitals and mosques.... lies with Hamas. Mr. Cohen states that



"Israel cannot bomb schools and hospitals just because it believes

Hamas may be hiding there. It is a direct violation of international law,

and therefore constitutes a war crime. "



I find it funny that he uses actually uses the Geneva Convention as a source. I guess he hopes that no one has ever actually read it!



Art. 19 states "The protection to which civilian hospitals are entitled shall not cease unless they are used to commit, outside their humanitarian duties, acts harmful to the enemy."



Therefore when Mitchell Bard said that Hamas is at fault when they use "mosques, schools, private residences and even hospitals as locations to manufacture, store and launch weapons at Israel and hide its leaders" he is simply stating a legal fact.



Hamas is acting in DIRECT CONTRAVENTION to the Geneva Accords. Here's the same link that Mr. Ben Cohen gave. Check out Article 19.



http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/385ec082b509e76c41256739003e636d/6756482d86146898c125641e004aa3c5
About Palestinian Territories
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