Is The Israeli Army Just Not Any Good?

[Gromit]

The toll in Gaza so far...

832 civilians
221 of them children
182 armed combatants.

[agchristie]

And of course it's perfectly fine to hit school playgrounds - that are empty...

[sandyRoe]

'Kill the nits and you won't have lice', seems to be their motto.

[tonyav]

Or are Hamas really good by using schools and hospitals as firing positions.

[Peter Pedant]

Of course they're very good

very good at killing children

[jeffa]

Here's an entirely different point of view:
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/why-dont-i-criticize-israel

Not my own view in any way, but interesting to hear the other side of things.

[Brinjal]

If you keep throwing stones at someone mustn't be surprised if they throw boulders back.

[Peter Pedant]

//Or are Hamas really good by using schools and hospitals as firing positions.//

to be honest Tony we will never know

If it is true the IDF will say they thought firing was coming from the school
and if it is NOT true the IDF will say they thought firing was coming from the school

Radio 4 this pm someone was seriously suggesting that there were no dead bodies to start off with in some bomb site, a few were then obligingly sent in ....

[New Judge]

As I've said before, like all conflicts in the Middle East it is an intractable problem involving completely intransigent participants arguing over an issue the basis of which is long lost in the mists of time.

It will never be satisfactorily resolved; it is no use trying to blame one side or the other as they are both as bad as each other. I have lost what very little interest I had in the matter.

[Kromovaracun]

Unfortunately both sides (in different ways) seem to be accustomed to using civilians, including children and families, as weapons of war.

Hamas hide behind children knowing full well the outcome, and Israel continuously push their illegal civilian settlements onto Palestinian land, knowing full well the consequences.

Everyone carrying on this war has essentially has made their peace with the slaughter, dismemberment and crippling of blameless children. Even among the basest criminals, I'd guess there are few willing to stoop that low. They are the worst of us.

[Kromovaracun]

I think I agree with NJ. The whole thing has plunged to such bleak and horrible depths that there really is nothing your average person can do to salvage it.

[Gromit]

Jeffa
Sam Harris was brought up in the Jewish faith. Most of his writing is anti-Christian and Anti-Muslim.

[Brenden]

But factual gromit.

[Gromit]

Brendan
Factual - not really.

Sam Harris last hit the headlines when he wanted Iran nuked. Just another right wing looney.

[DTCwordfan]

So the Gromits are being rained on by Gaza rockets.....what do we do? Call for Captain Benjamin Gromit and stand back? Come on Gromit, what would you do, if you were an Israeli?

Having said that, I would be targeting, flooding the Strip, after all, it's only half the size of Cornwall and then destroying the tunnels/assets on a more 'selective' basis and don't tell me that the Israelis don't know where 90%+ of the problems lie.

[keyplus90]

People who talk about Hamas and their rockets and blame them for these brutal use of power against people who are defenceless, usually forget that Israel has been killing Palestinians since 1948. Has Hamas been firing rockets since then?

[keyplus90]

And as for Israeili army, soon they would learn when they would face someone of equal power. They are so much used to of killing innocent children and women that they are only good for that.

[tonyav]

keyplus, why don't Hamas stop firing rockets / missiles ?.

[naomi24]

Gromit, //Just another right wing looney. //

Not so. He's a very vocal atheist. Have you read his books?

[naomi24]

Keyplus, //And as for Israeili army, soon they would learn when they would face someone of equal power. //

You keep saying things like this. Do you have insider information that the rest of us are not privy to? If so, do tell.

[Hypognosis]

@Brinjal
If you keep throwing stones at someone mustn't be surprised if they throw boulders back.

I've lost count of how many times this has been repeated, on the media.

Has no-one noticed that responding to pebbles with boulders is disproportionate to the point of being psychopathic?