This is absolutely horrific. They have reached the new low standard of barbarity and inhumanity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another point of clarity: technically, you are not supposed to pray directly to a saint. To do so would be polytheism. Instead, you are supposed to ask the saint to help you pray for something, so that you are praying together.

Right -- the end of a prayer to any saint, is "Please saint ___, intercede for me."

I see. Thank you

Anonymous wrote:Muslima,

I am a reform jew. I am not particularly observant -- I do not keep kosher and observe the sabbath in the way I choose...I will use power, and will drive to synagog.

If you are interested, I am sure you would be welcome at many synagogs for friday or saturday services. I am confident my synagog would be welcoming (Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church). If you do come to services, please be aware, you will here strongly pro-israeli speak, even if specific policies are debated.

At my synagog, people are very supportive of Israel, even though we want to see some policies change.

To be honest, though id love to , I'd be bit scared to go to a synagogue. I have been to churches before but never dared enter in a synagogue, especially now with all the Israeli-Palestinian discourse. I've already lost 2 Jewish and one Israeli friend over it and they unfriended me on Fbook as well, so I know it's an emotional topic.

Anonymous wrote:Muslima, even Ban Ki-Moon said Hamas broke it. You sure lose credibility when you quote Hamas. Not exactly the authorities of truth!

Jeff, the Jeffrey Goldberg piece is actually really good. You should finish reading. Regardless where Hadar was abducted, things are not going to get better. Israel will do anything to get their people back.

This is what Ban Ki Moon said :

" This would constitute a grave violation of the cease-fire, and one that is likely to have very serious consequences for the people of Gaza, Israel and beyond," said. "Such moves call into question the credibility of Hamas' assurances to the United Nations."

Noting that the UN has no independent means to verify what happened on ground, Ban said he is deeply concerned about the resumption of Israeli attacks on Gaza and the killing of over 50 Palestinians this morning. 

"Instead of giving both sides, especially Gazan civilians, a much needed reprieve to let them attend to their injured, bury their dead and repair vital infrastructure, this breach of the ceasefire is now leading to a renewed escalation," Ban's spokesman said. 

"The Secretary-General urges both sides to show maximum restraint and return to the agreed 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire that tragically lasted such a brief period of time," he said. 

What Hamas wanted is irrelevant. Is Israel Hamas'puppet? What they are doing is illegal. A state cannot simultaneously exercise control over territory it occupies and militarily attack that territory on the claim that it is “foreign” and poses an exogenous national security threat. In doing precisely that, Israel is asserting rights that may be consistent with colonial domination but simply do not exist under international law. 

Occupation Law prohibits an occupying power from initiating armed force against its occupied territory. By mere virtue of the existence of military occupation, an armed attack, including one consistent with the UN Charter, has already occurred and been concluded. Therefore the right of self-defense in international law is, by definition since 1967, not available to Israel with respect to its dealings with real or perceived threats emanating from the West Bank and Gaza Strip population. To achieve its security goals, Israel can resort to no more than the police powers, or the exceptional use of militarized force, vested in it by IHL. This is not to say that Israel cannot defend itself—but those defensive measures can neither take the form of warfare nor be justified as self-defense in international law.

For that sane reason, I can not enter your house, shoot you and declare it was self defense. That' s the law....

The death toll of the 25-day old war is over 1,450 Palestinians, mainly civilians, and 61 Israelis, mainly soldiers. But Gordon claims that the Gazan residents cannot be considered civilians because they live "with rocket launchers installed or terror tunnels burrowed in or around the vicinity of their home".

The article, though deleted can be read here :

https://archive.today/RPf3M

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Israel is killing children on purpose in Gaza. It is attacking areas with complete knowledge of, and indifference to, civilian casualties. That is reality, no matter how much you pretend otherwise.

If that doesn't coform to how you believe Israel would or should act, pick up the phone or write a letter. But please stop trying to suggest that it's Hamas that is responsible for Israeli-inflicted deaths.

If you believe this, you have been smoking something stronger than Hooka.

Could you point out what part of the previous post requires smoking something to believe? I lead a smoke-free life and the post seems accurate (unfortunately) to me.

Israel is not killing kids on purpose. Israel attacks flash points, points where things are launched from. Hamas appears to be firing from regions where they know there is shelter. Israel responds from where the rockets were launched....

Is it your suggestion that Israel does not know that there are children at the locations it is attacking? It appears to me that you are actually saying that Israel is killing children on purpose, it just has an excuse.

Frankly, I am sitting in my suburban Virginia living room, typing on my computer. I do not *know* if Israel knows what they are attacking or not. What I do know is a standard military doctrine is to fire back at what fired at you. A lot of countries do that. The assumption is the enemy is civilized enough not to fire from residential areas. I will grant, that because of the density of Gaza, that becomes more difficult. But, if I see a muzzle flash, that is where I return fire. My best guess is Israel quickly responds based on where radar shows the rocket launch.

War is not clean. We think we know the answer, but mistakes can happen. Unfortunately, mistakes cost lives of innocent people. I wish Israel was more careful. I wish Hamas was not firing from residential neighborhoods. Heck, I wish there was no conflict. I wish the two sides could peacefully coexist as equals: a prosperous and peaceful Palestine and Israel will benefit both sides.

Imagine if the monies being spent to destroy each other were spent for good?

Not true in this case. Israel argues that it can invoke the right to self-defense under international law as defined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. The International Court of Justice, however, rejected this faulty legal interpretation in its 2004 Advisory Opinion. The ICJ explained that an armed attack that would trigger Article 51 must be attributable to a sovereign state, but the armed attacks by Palestinians emerge from within Israel’s jurisdictional control. Israel does have the right to defend itself against rocket attacks, but it must do so in accordance with occupation law and not other laws of war. Occupation law ensures greater protection for the civilian population

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you saying PP doesn't care about children being killed? I don't think Hamas cares if children are killed other than it helps their visual cause on the world stage.

In that were really the case, Israel would be the ultimate sucker, wouldn't it? Because the world definitely holds Israel with increasing contempt.

Yes, biased bodies (UN), many Arab nations, nearly all media outlets (seriously--why no coverage of Hamas militants?), rooted anti-Semitism throughout Europe (breathtaking what is taking place there) and those that don't appreciate Israel's position (still think it was unfairly created by UN in 48, think that by opening up all access to Gaza will totally appease Hamas, think that all Israeli wars were started by Israel) will always hold Israel in contempt. Plenty of people in the world are siding with Israel or level-headedness, including Jordan, Egypt and the UAE. Saying "the world" holds Israel with increasing contempt is pretty far fetched.

You should say that those governments are siding with Israel, their people are not, but people evolve before politicians and media..
[youtube] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ueswv7lSLQ&sns=em[/youtube]

Israel has a habit of crying wolf. They did that a few days ago , cried that rockets endangered their airspace and that's why they had to kill civilians. When the FAA banned flights to Israel for security reasons since Israel cried that they have been in so much danger, surprise., surprise, Israelis went bonkers and said they were the most secure ever and there was no threat to their planes, or populace.... You can't have it both ways, Israel. Keep crying, the world is watching and waking up. Free Palestine~

These children deserve to have a normal childhood like any other child.

Which planet do you live on that you feel no remorse for fellow human beings?People are not dying because of Hamas.. One Palestinian child has been killed by Israel every three days for the past thirteen years.
Not a word was said about the 10-year truce offered by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, instantly rejected by Israel. The truce hinged on ten conditions, the only military one requiring the Israeli Defense Force to withdraw their tanks from Gaza. The other nine were backed by economic motivation; including allowing a UN-controlled airport in Gaza, expanding Gaza’s fishing zones and allowing the borders of the Gaza Strip to be opened and maintained by the United Nations.

It is Israel which has kept Gaza under blockade since 2006 when it decided it would not accept the result of a free and fair election that put Hamas in power. A blockade is an act of war and Israel has, by that definition, been at war with Gaza for almost a decade, a war it waged through its incessant punishment of innocent civilians. Did Netanyahu think Hamas would simply accept that forever?

Eyewitness to a local radio in Gaza: " Tens of women, children, old people are targeted in Rafah, south of Gaza Strip. Mass displacement of Palestinian families in Gaza. Many people got killed while evacuating their homes seeking a "safer place". I do not exaggerate and I am responsible for my own words, an ethnic cleansing operation is taking place NOW in Rafah. The number of causalities is alerting and shocking, only 80 dead people and 600 injured were brought to poor hospital of Rafah. Yet, Massive number of dead bodies and injuries are still lying in streets. Rafah people were walking in groups when F16 fighter jets NOT armed drones rockets hit them collectively. There are dead bodies whose characteristic have utterly disappeared, not even a single piece of their bodies can be identified. Large area of Rafah neighborhoods - Barazel, Salam, Tel Zo'arb neighborhoods have been totally wiped out and destroyed. Paramedics and civil defense forces are not allowed to recover killed and injured people, some of them were even killed while rescuing people. It is a mass murder, imagine a 1000s of explosives are being dropped on Rafah neighborhoods"

Pope Francis wept for the children of Gaza. He is a man of God, a human. May God protect him and all people who fight for justice:

"I am thinking, above all, of children who are deprived of the hope of a worthwhile life, a future. Dead children, wounded children, mutilated children, orphaned children, children whose toys are things left over from war, children who don't know how to smile.” This was the moment when the tears came. “Please stop,” said Francis. “I ask you with all my heart, it's time to stop. Stop"


http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/27/what-would-jesus-do-in-gaza-the-tears-of-pope-francis-point-the-way.html#sthash.9sxO8Fod.dpuf

Was it worth killing 300 civilians to capture one man? No.....

Thank you PPs for explaining how people become saints and what it entails. I appreciate it, never heard about it before

Anonymous wrote:Muslima, you will lose any credibility you may have when you selectively quote from an article. It certainly appears from that CNN piece that Hamas violated the cease fire which lead to Israeli retaliation.

Really? That's why I provided the link in the message, so you can read it for yourself? An no it didn't appear that way on the CNN article. The article said both sides are accusing each other, but if you read my post you'd see that I noted that Israel would say Hamas captured their soldier and use that as their excuse while I have people in Rafah who couldn't sleep all night because of shelling and bombing in the area