You know what's missing? A good ole Israel/Palestinian debate. How 'bout this: hopes for a ceasefire were shattered when Israel launched an attack on Gaza in retaliation to a rocket attack.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7293498.stm

The interesting thing to me is the acknowledgement by Hamas that they can control (or at least stop) the rocket attacks, something I always thought they denied.

I was missing the same thing especially with it being such an interesting time in the Israeli-Arab Conflict.

Israel has made it very clear that they will not attack Gaza if Hamas do not attack them and I think that's fair enough. The ball is really in Hamas's court, if they want Israel to stop attacking Gaza they should stop attacking Israel because Israel don't have a choice, but to defend their state.

However I am moderately hopeful about the situation in the Middle East now. At last there seems to be some type of talks between Hamas and Israel and that has to happen for peace to happen and the beginnings of a ceasefire from those talks. There is a long way to go, but hopefully this crisis might have led to a beginning of the end.

because Palestine don't have a choice, but to defend their state.

lostexpectation wrote:

because Palestine don't have a choice, but to defend their state.

This is what seems to have happened. The Egypt sponsored ceasefire broke when Israel killed four militants. The Israelis claim that they intended to arrest the militants but killed them when they saw that the militants were armed. Would the arrests have been enough to violate the ceasefire? The Israelis claim that they did not seek any bloodshed.

At any rate, the group Islamic Jihad launched rocket attacks in retaliation. I doubt anyone was killed. Israel responded with an air attack. Again, there's no word on fatalities. Ban Ki-Moon criticised the Israeli response, calling it disproportionate.

I think the Palestinian response was disproportionate myself. Also, I doubt it was sanctioned by Hamas, which would show just how much control they have over rocket attacks.

905 wrote:

lostexpectation wrote:

because Palestine don't have a choice, but to defend their state.

This is what seems to have happened. The Egypt sponsored ceasefire broke when Israel killed four militants. The Israelis claim that they intended to arrest the militants but killed them when they saw that the militants were armed. Would the arrests have been enough to violate the ceasefire? The Israelis claim that they did not seek any bloodshed.

At any rate, the group Islamic Jihad launched rocket attacks in retaliation. I doubt anyone was killed. Israel responded with an air attack. Again, there's no word on fatalities. Ban Ki-Moon criticised the Israeli response, calling it disproportionate.

I think the Palestinian response was disproportionate myself. Also, I doubt it was sanctioned by Hamas, which would show just how much control they have over rocket attacks.

The rockets came from Islamic Jihad anyway and if Hamas don't have full control of Gaza and that does seem to be the case then it does cause even more problems because it's close to pointless having a cease-fire with Hamas if other groups are able to lauch rockets from Gaza into Israel.

It seems the only democracy in the middle east, no longer respects freedom of speech. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/964128.html

riadach wrote:

It seems the only democracy in the middle east, no longer respects freedom of speech. [url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/964128.html

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/964128.html[/quote[/url]]

How is that not respecting freedom of speech? It's not like they're banning the channel and I don't see why Israel Ministers should have to do interviews with a channel that they feel opposes them, in the same way I doubt Bertie will do an Interview with the Irish Daily Mail any time soon. In reality Israel has a very free media and a hell of a lot of it's own national media is very critical of the government.

[quote="Rocky"]

riadach wrote:

It seems the only democracy in the middle east, no longer respects freedom of speech. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/964128.html[/quote]

How is that not respecting freedom of speech? It's not like they're banning the channel and I don't see why Israel Ministers should have to do interviews with a channel that they feel opposes them, in the same way I doubt Bertie will do an Interview with the Irish Daily Mail any time soon. In reality Israel has a very free media and a hell of a lot of it's own national media is very critical of the government.

Because it is not allowing them access to the Gaza strip any longer, as it disagrees with what they say about their activity in that area. Therefore they wish to prevent criticism of the government. Seems to be to be a pretty clear rejection of the right of freedom of speech.

[quote="riadach"]

Rocky wrote:

riadach wrote:

It seems the only democracy in the middle east, no longer respects freedom of speech. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/964128.html[/quote]

How is that not respecting freedom of speech? It's not like they're banning the channel and I don't see why Israel Ministers should have to do interviews with a channel that they feel opposes them, in the same way I doubt Bertie will do an Interview with the Irish Daily Mail any time soon. In reality Israel has a very free media and a hell of a lot of it's own national media is very critical of the government.

Because it is not allowing them access to the Gaza strip any longer, as it disagrees with what they say about their activity in that area. Therefore they wish to prevent criticism of the government. Seems to be to be a pretty clear rejection of the right of freedom of speech.

I can't watch the News Broadcast, but there's no mention of Al-Jazeera being not alloweed access to Gaza in any articles, on BBC, Haaratz or Al Jazeera. Instead it states that Ministers won't talk to it and that they won't be alloweed into government departments.

[quote="Rocky"]

riadach wrote:

Rocky wrote:

riadach wrote:

It seems the only democracy in the middle east, no longer respects freedom of speech. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/964128.html[/quote]

How is that not respecting freedom of speech? It's not like they're banning the channel and I don't see why Israel Ministers should have to do interviews with a channel that they feel opposes them, in the same way I doubt Bertie will do an Interview with the Irish Daily Mail any time soon. In reality Israel has a very free media and a hell of a lot of it's own national media is very critical of the government.

Because it is not allowing them access to the Gaza strip any longer, as it disagrees with what they say about their activity in that area. Therefore they wish to prevent criticism of the government. Seems to be to be a pretty clear rejection of the right of freedom of speech.

I can't watch the News Broadcast, but there's no mention of Al-Jazeera being not alloweed access to Gaza in any articles, on BBC, Haaratz or Al Jazeera. Instead it states that Ministers won't talk to it and that they won't be alloweed into government departments.

I misheard that part. However, it's refusal to allow aljazeera officials into govenrment departments on the basis of something that they have said, is hardly conducive to free speech.