Letters to the Editor
Xanthro
Published Letters: 522 Editor's Choice: 47
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Children Killed
[Read the article: Israel's failed-state strategy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Xanthro: exactly how many Israeli children have been killed by Qassam rockets?"
Four, and I've already listed their names and ages, so you have either choosen to not read this thread and have instead simply jumped to conclusions, or you are trying to spread disinformation that Isreali children have not died in the rocket attacks.
"Israel supporters are always making unsubstantiated statements to portray Israelis as victims and to bully and stop any discussion of Isreal's crimes against the Palestinians (and not to forget the Lebanese people in 1982 invasion and bombardment of Beirut)."
So to No Name Given listing the names, ages, and even specific dates of the deaths is an "unsubstantiated statement?"
"The fact is that Israel is an aggressor and an occupier armed with heavy weapons supplied by the USA."
Occupier of what? Israel moved out of Gaza, which the Palenstians didn't take advantage of by showing they could govern themselves in a manner that didn't involve attacking Israel. Instead, the opportunity was wasted to improve rockets and start hitting larger Israeli cities.
"There is ample documentation (written and video) of Israelis targeting and killing Palestinian children, elderly, disabled, and other unarmed civilians."
Yes, a distrubing number of innocent Palestinians have been killed, including children. What you don't see is mass Israeli demonstrations celebrating such deaths. Are you going to deny that you can find groups of more than 50 Palestinians celebrating the deaths of Israeli children?
"If any other country (including the US) committed these crimes against humanity, there would be an international attempt to bring the perpetrators to justice. Israel does indeed have a "special" relationship with the US - to the detriment of us all."
You mean like the international attempt to Turkey from killing Kurds, or the international attempt at stopping Iraq from killing Kurds, or the international attempt at stopping the killing in Kashmir or the international attempt at bringing the perpetrators of violence in Sri Lanka to justice. Yes, all conflicts with a much higher death rate than the middle east conflict, yet surrounded with silence. Is this because one side is not Jewish?
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RWilson, Qassam rockets have killed Israelis
[Read the article: Israel's failed-state strategy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Four children including three under the age of 10 have been killed by Qassam rockets fired from Gaza. I've already listed their names in this thread, so please stop with the disinformation campaign that the rockets have not killed any Israelis.
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Answers
[Read the article: The catastrophe that never ends]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Here are answers to Freddie deBoer's rather silly questions, answers that will promptly be ignored by person asking them.
"I still haven't heard an answer to my question."
Are you actually going to acknowledge any answers?
"How can you have a democracy that does not have egalitarianism?"
Question assumes facts, that is that Israel does not have egalitarianism. The question itself shows the questioner's bias.
"How can you have a liberal democracy without protections on minority rights?"
Speaking of Israel, there are protections for minority rights. Not only can non-Jews hold citizenship, they vote, hold office, and are provided all the same civil rights accorded to every other citizen. The only difference is that non-Jews are not obligated to serve in the IDF. Many non-Jews do serve, but they are not obligated.
Now, you can argue that funding to non-Jews is at a substantially lower level than toward Jewish areas and you'd be right, but using that definition there is no such thing as a liberal democracy since every country has stratification among various groups, including the United States.
"How can you have a theocratic state and have any chance for free and open minority religions?"
Since Israel is neither a theocratic state, and every person is free to practice his or her religion one wonders exactly why Freddie deBoer wrote this passage?
Saudia Arabia and Iran are theocratic states, and many other Islamic nations base law on Sharia, where rule is by clerics. Israel does not use the religious texts for the basis of law.
Despite the Old Testement clear call for disobedient children to be stoned to death, no such law exists in Israeli law.
"These are the most basic questions of liberalism and democracy, and no discussion exists."
Discussion is a two way street and since it appears that the road back to the poster is closed, then yes, there is no discussion.
"And since people keep bringing up the Holocaust, a quick correction-- 12 million people were killed, not 6."
No, 12 million people were not killed in the same systematic manner as where Jews. While well over 20 million people were killed by the Nazis, those killed at camps such as Treblinka were overwhelming Jewish in number and as a percentage of those killed. While large percentages of Jehovah's Witness', and Roma were killed, there numbers were much fewer than Jews and nobody takes seriously arguments that said death camps would have ever been constructed to eliminate these other groups.
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So, are you claiming Israel should annex the West Bank?
[Read the article: The catastrophe that never ends]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Xanthro declared:
"Not only can non-Jews hold citizenship, they vote, hold office, and are provided all the same civil rights accorded to every other citizen."
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Except, of course, non-Jews who live in the West Bank and Golan - unlike Jews who live in those areas (with US financial support), non-Jews have none of the rights that you list here.
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First, you are wrong about the Golan Heights, as Arabs and non-jews living there have voting rights.
Second, unless Israel annexs the West Bank, why on Earth should the people there be allowed to vote?
The United States doesn't allow German living in Germany to vote in US elections, but does allow US citizens living in Germany to vote in US elections. Exactly the same as Israel.