i think the proper term to call them is zionists.

Fair point Derek. I just wish more Roman Catholics would get upset when a Hugh percentage of priests are actually proven to be Paedophils. It’s the fact that most of them accept it that bothers me.

I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that the Egyptian part of the blockade was lifted when Mubarak was ousted. It was Mubarak that was happy to partake in the blockade, but he wasn’t very popular with his people..

If that’s the case, then what point is there in Israel controlling what goes in and out of Gaza.. Just take what is needed in through Egypt.

If these people really cared about the ordinary innocent people of Palestine (& Israel), they would be doing all in their power to get rid of the Extremist nutjobs in Hamas/Hizbollah with their hate filled attitude towards women, gays, Jews, Christians, in fact anyone not in line with their beliefs. Then Israel might have someone they could negotiate with. & it’s a 100% legitimate question to ask why all the focus on Israel & none on Syria or Egypt or Sudan etc where Human Rights abuses are 1000% times worse than anything Israel could be accused of.

“I do believe a country has the right to defend itself…”

“The problem here is Hamas…”

These adjacent statements seem utterly contradictory – UNLESS you grant rights to the country and people of Israel that you don’t grant to the country and people of Palestine.

Remember, the twin states of ISRAEL and PALESTINE were conceived at same time and by means of the same instruments, but one twin was born to great fanfare and with worldwide support, while the birth of the other has been delayed for 60+ years due to the gaming of the UN’s authority.

Let’s be midwives and help complete the international work started in 1948. I applaud the flotilla and the Parliamentarians statement.

Dont.

Did any real politicians sign this or was it just looney lefties? Never heard of Gaza Action Ireland, what do they supply – refurbished kaytushas?

Typical lazy comment from those trying to deflect and divert attention from the crimes of Israel. What is happening in Syria is terrible. But last time I looked, Syria was locked into a civil war based on religious and ethnic lines. What is happening in Gaza is a form of collective punishment perpetrated by a state that gets financial support from both the US and the EU. There is a key differences between Syria and Gaza that are obvious for anyone that has half a brain! I fully support those that campaign to end this illegal act.

Not really, the usual far left/anarchist “fraggle rock” groupings that you see protesting outside Aldi about the sale of Zionist oranges and members of the anti everything party of course will be on board….Israel are trying to defend their borders. Hard to have sympathy when Hamas are pounding them with rockets…as for their education system where one of the exam questions in their doctrine ask “Who was the first woman to kill a Jew”….promoting hatred and murder from a young age….two sides to every story….

Toorkeel, you are off your rocker!!!

@ toorkeel ‘Hard to have sympathy when Hamas are pounding them with rockets’…….yyyyyaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnnn. Would someone change that record? It’s starting to hop again.

@Chris

Bet you hate Jews too?…what a load of nonsense you anti semites spout of…ever been to Israel to see what they’re surrounded by?…I have and I tell you its pure hatred….I also feel sorry for some of the Palestinians but they are responsible for bad deeds in that part of the world too…hopefully they will get their homeland sooner rather than later but it’s a guarantee that they will still be demanding more from the evil state of Israel that they want destroyed…I also bet that they s still will not be producing or inventing anything of significance unlike Israel

@Marc anthony power

so now anyone who defends the Palestinians is an anti semite? What a stupid comment! You attack dogs never cease using the same old tried and trusted cliches of ‘jew haters, and anti semites’ etc etc……completely diverting attention from the actual story! Kinda getting boring at this stage!

@Michael burke

Yeah am getting bored of people such ad yourself defending the actions of these Palestinian terrorists while shouting down Israel…I am entitled to my opinion too and what I see on here in thinly veiled anti Semitism and Jew hating…including from you I suspect….I wish the Palestinians well but they also Jane to learn how to act without violence…something I quite frankly don’t see happening

@ Marc anthony power

So everyone living in Gaza is a terrorist yeah…is that what you’re insinuating?

This ……. “Oh wait……” routine is boring .

I don’t believe I am “off my rocker”. The likes of Hamas are a bigger noose around their peoples neck than anyone than Israel and that’s for sure. Firing rockets across borders and demanding the destruction if your nearest neighbour is never going to make things easy. Of course I would like to see a democratic Palestinian State alongside Israel, I think everybody would but that ain’t going to happen with lunatics like Hamas in power. As for these “flotillas” and their motley ragtaggle crews trying to force responses from the IDF, they are pathetic. If they are that concerned why aren’t they trying to promote business and general trade in the area in sustainable enterprises so the Palestinian people can create employment and help nurture self esteem and positivity in the local economy….oh yes, silly me, none of these bleeding hearts have anything constructive to offer in this way as they are all mostly wasters anyway on the scrounger in their respective countries. Bringing a few bags of corn and some sticky plasters with a sad “understanding” face to the Palestinian people isn’t the answer…..

@ M A Power. So tiresomely predictible, yawn…Of course ANY criticism of Israel is obviously an attack on all Jews isn’t it?? Will it is if you want it to fit your warped agenda. This is the oldest trick in the book peddled by all you nuts that can’t see any thing bad that the state of Israel ever does. Labelling someone you have never met before a Jew Hater for daring to criticise Israels crimes, Pitiful..

@Michael Burke

Maybe you’re reading something else as I did not say all Palestinians are terrorists in the same way that not all Israelis agree with the actions of their government

@ Marc anthony power

I read it in the same place that you read the people who posted in this thread hate jews and are anti semites.

Yes Torkeel, there is two sides to every story..
Look at the very beginning of this one.

The British Army comes and boots you off your land so these foreigners can live there. These foreigners are armed, and while protesting to get your home back some of you get shot. Indeed, an entire village gets wiped out by the “terrorists” in the foreigner group in proper Deuteronomy style right before they announce that your old home is now their state.

Enter an ever increasing spiral of violence. All the way through you have a group of people who feel that they’ve been robbed attacking using whatever they can get their hands on vs Israels arsenal which, lets face it, is quite impressive.

The original insult comes from Israel. And they keep expanding – forcing Palestinians from their homes, their responses to “terrorist” attacks are three to ten fold. They continue to blockade Gaza. I don’t condone the violence, but would you expect the Palestinian people to just sit back and take it?

And as for hatred – there’s plenty of hatred coming from either side, I don’t suppose you saw Panoramas “Price Tag Wars” no? Chaim Yavins “Beyond the TV News: Arabs in Israel” (Chaim Yavin was Israels premier news anchor and expressed in his travelogue that he had been fed a skewed view of Palestinians on the main evening news).

Neither side is perfect, but take a step back and look at it. To put it simply, who started it?

@Shanti. Come on, How far back do you want to go Shanti? To the time of King Herod? Jews lived there 2000 years ago, does that mean that the Arabs took their land? The same could be said for any number of countries around the world, where an occupying force came in and took over. Most of Europe is a patchwork of micro and macro states for example. Who is to say what the world will look like in 500 years or 50 years for that matter. There are 8m people in Israel including 1.5m Arab peoples, where do you propose these people go if Israel should not exist. I can guarantee you those 1.5m Arabs in Israel have a much better standard of living and a hell of a more going for them than their “brethren” in Gaza. I agree, the illegal settlements are completely wrong and counterproductive when it comes to negotiating peace in a broken region. It is what it is, history unfortunately isn’t kind to most. Peaceful coexistence is the only way forward…

Israel would’ve been a great nation if they were to live in peace rather then occupying and terrorising Palestine! But they’ve reduced themselves to thugs on the same level as those who once tried to destroy them!

Ok, hold up a second please;

1. I never said Israel shouldn’t exist. That’s completely unrealistic, there are some steps we take that there are no steps back from. Now that Israel exists it exists. The only way to move is forward. Two state solution most likely the best way forward, I don’t think Israel really wants it though, actions speak louder than words..

2. The Arabs living in Israel are treated better than their Gazan bretheren – but why are things so bad in Gaza? Nothing to do with the blockade no?
Arabs are paid less for the same jobs in Israel. They find it hard to find places to live as Jewish landlords and land owners are discouraged from selling / renting to Arabs by their Spiritual leaders. Arabs line up daily at the apartheid wall to be deigned the good grace of a days work – considering that their homes were bulldozed with no right of appeal by the Israeli authorities (same goes for the Bedouins who fought FOR Israel and are not their enemies).
They’re treated much like Travellers are treated here and in the UK, the laws etc may preach equality, but the reality is different. Muslim Arabs are treated even worse, they are no more than “goyim”.

3. The reason I went back to the Balfour declaration is because that was when the Zionists (not Jews) made a plan to put down roots on other people’s land – they showed up with an army and some cherry picked scripture and forced people out. It formed the foundation for today’s Israeli state. The massacre at Deir Yesin happened right before the announcement of Israels nationhood. Which is far more relevant to today’s situation than King Herod, would you not agree?

As for the equation of criticism of Israel with anti semitism elsewhere up thread (Marc Anthony Powers contribution if memory serves). I believe it was Voltaire who said “to learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticise”.
Now, we can slag off Christianity til the cows come home, Muslims get a lot of flack too (not saying its totally undeserved – just pointing it out), we can pretty much slag off any religion – bar Judaism.
We can also slag off any country / government, many make a living from it – not Israel though..
If you do either of these things then you are an anti Semite.. The worst thing to call anyone it seems, should we deduce that the Jews rule the world? There are many who believe that this is indeed the case (I will not attempt to confirm or deny this).

I’m not an anti Semite. I think all the Abrahamic religions are equally disgusting. I have equal contempt for them all.
Their followers is a different story – them I will take on an individual basis, because I believe that you are human first, and humans aren’t born with beliefs, they’re just born HUMAN. It’s those damn religions that put forth this notion of being “better” than anyone else because of your beliefs.