Again, did he get Congress' approval for the sanctions against Iran? If not, why would he need Congress' approval for sanctions against Israel?
News Israel bombing Gaza again
- Thread starter Second Summer
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Spang
Foot Fetisher
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As long as there is capitalism, and the illusion of a two-party system, in the United States, no. Capitalism isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and many liberals and Democrats continue to support Israel.
das_nut
Forum Legend
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As far as I know, it depends on the type of sanctions. Basically, Obama has some tools to create sanctions, but he is not given carte blanche powers, nor could he do something so wildly unpopular without congress overruling him.
Usually, congress passes the sanctions, from what I can tell.
OP
OP
There is a ceasefire at the moment, and Israel has started to withdraw its ground troops.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 1880 Palestinians have been killed and around 10,000 have been wounded. (The UN confirms 1717 killed.) The vast majority are civilians. On the Israelis side, 64 soldiers and 2 civilians have been killed. 1 Thai worker was also killed. 400 soldiers and 23 civilians were wounded. (Numbers from Wikipedia.)
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 1880 Palestinians have been killed and around 10,000 have been wounded. (The UN confirms 1717 killed.) The vast majority are civilians. On the Israelis side, 64 soldiers and 2 civilians have been killed. 1 Thai worker was also killed. 400 soldiers and 23 civilians were wounded. (Numbers from Wikipedia.)
ledboots
Peace
Don't hold out hope for the congress to do anything, no matter which party is in control.
This poll gives an idea of what Americans think of congress at this time. Congressional Performance - Rasmussen Reports™
A snippet: "Most voters (68%) think that, no matter how bad things are, Congress can always find a way to make them worse. Only 17% disagree, but nearly as many (15%) are not sure."
My understanding is Hamas started building tunnels after Israel did the blockade. The tunnels are used for weapons and goods as well. Because they're used for weapons, Israel has decided to take action against them. Since they're used for the good of the Palestinians as well, they're causing misery to the people. How can Israel(along with Egypt, whom I believe is also taking action) possibly be considered the good guys in this conflict?
ledboots
Peace
Israel has won the tunnel war, but lost the propaganda battle to Hamas - Telegraph
"One Israeli officer has compared the complexity of the tunnel network to the London Underground; some are even wide enough to allow vehicles to drive through. Many of them, furthermore, extend far beyond the Gazan border into Israel proper.
Captured Hamas fighters have provided details of the planned September 24 assault when militants intended to attack Jewish communities and capture as many Israelis as possible.
This would certainly explain why Israeli military officials are now reporting that the tunnels, apart from storing large numbers of missiles and heavy explosives, were also stocked with tranquillisers, handcuffs, syringes, ropes and all the other paraphernalia used for dealing with captives.
The other feature of Hamas’s uncompromising strategy that has emerged in the aftermath of Operation Protective Edge is the organisation’s readiness to use Palestinian civilians as human shields. Israeli military officials claim to have recovered a Hamas manual on urban warfare that extols the benefits of civilian deaths, arguing that “the destruction of civilian homes increases the hatred of the citizens towards the attackers”.
Israel’s claims seem to have been verified by several journalists reporting on the conflict from Gaza, with one reporting that he had seen two Hamas rockets fired from the vicinity of al-Shifa hospital, scene of some of the fiercest fighting."
FortyTwo
Custom Title
But what Hamas is doing isn't the point? More power to Israel when it comes to fighting terrorist organizations.
It's just clear that they're using that as an excuse to go forth with the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
It's just clear that they're using that as an excuse to go forth with the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
beancounter
The Fire That Burns Within
Clueless Git
Plant powered
S'easy. You just have to ignore where the whole problem started.
The redneck in BC's video clip is a classic example of exactly that with a little creative rewriting of history thrown in for good measure.
"The land didn't belong to anyone ..", "no country had claimed it ..."
Absolute bollox. With the possible exception of Arctica and Antartica unclaimed land has no more existed than have fairies.
yakherder
老外
Why Don’t I Criticize Israel? : Sam Harris
Too long to post the whole thing here, but hard to pick just a few key parts. I like it because it pretty much mirrors my opinion, and comes from a non-religious non-zionist perspective that, nonetheless, doesn't follow the intellectual fad of automatically demonizing Israel.
I personally think both sides have blood on their hands. The difference, in my mind, is that Israel has a building block worth starting with.
From freedom of religion to gay rights, Israel's neighbors have got absolutely nothing on Israel. It is okay to practice Judaism yet proclaim that you do not believe in God. Try that as either a Muslim or Christian.
It is also okay to be gay in Israel, and has been for quite some time. Gays in military service, gay adoption, all accepted. Israel does not perform gay marriage, but it recognizes those performed elsewhere.
Practicing male homosexuality in Gaza? 10 years prison sentence.
Just a few examples that came to mind... I don't need to list 50 more to make the point.
I'm not a fan of what's going on, but I'm trying to look at the endgame, not just the next few years. In Iraq and Syria, for example, the culprit is obvious. ISIS needs to be destroyed. Palestine is not as simple. There, the culprits, whether you blame Israel or Palestinian Gaza, are entrenched within the government. Israel has a democratic, secular (in spite of being defined as a Jewish state) structure in place that is worth building on. The same cannot be said for its neighbors or almost anyone else in the region.
I'd rather work with Israel's issues than risk seeing it destroyed and overrun by a bunch of fruitcakes, which Hamas and any of the prospective allies it has in the region most certainly are. In order to do that,
I will also state, just for clarity, that I don't give a damn about historic rights or prophecy based boundaries. If we went by those standards, most of the countries in the world would be illegal. I want a secular system that recognizes human rights, and my opinions and actions are going to be chosen based on that stated agenda.
Too long to post the whole thing here, but hard to pick just a few key parts. I like it because it pretty much mirrors my opinion, and comes from a non-religious non-zionist perspective that, nonetheless, doesn't follow the intellectual fad of automatically demonizing Israel.
I personally think both sides have blood on their hands. The difference, in my mind, is that Israel has a building block worth starting with.
From freedom of religion to gay rights, Israel's neighbors have got absolutely nothing on Israel. It is okay to practice Judaism yet proclaim that you do not believe in God. Try that as either a Muslim or Christian.
It is also okay to be gay in Israel, and has been for quite some time. Gays in military service, gay adoption, all accepted. Israel does not perform gay marriage, but it recognizes those performed elsewhere.
Practicing male homosexuality in Gaza? 10 years prison sentence.
Just a few examples that came to mind... I don't need to list 50 more to make the point.
I'm not a fan of what's going on, but I'm trying to look at the endgame, not just the next few years. In Iraq and Syria, for example, the culprit is obvious. ISIS needs to be destroyed. Palestine is not as simple. There, the culprits, whether you blame Israel or Palestinian Gaza, are entrenched within the government. Israel has a democratic, secular (in spite of being defined as a Jewish state) structure in place that is worth building on. The same cannot be said for its neighbors or almost anyone else in the region.
I'd rather work with Israel's issues than risk seeing it destroyed and overrun by a bunch of fruitcakes, which Hamas and any of the prospective allies it has in the region most certainly are. In order to do that,
I will also state, just for clarity, that I don't give a damn about historic rights or prophecy based boundaries. If we went by those standards, most of the countries in the world would be illegal. I want a secular system that recognizes human rights, and my opinions and actions are going to be chosen based on that stated agenda.
Clueless Git
Plant powered
If siding with victims of theft against thieves is an intellectual fad then long may that intellectual fad last.
Maybe stealing land from fruitcakes in the first place was not a good idea?
Blobbenstein
.......
it's a good article.
It would be a bit like going around claiming to be a vegetarian whilst eating a chicken drum sick. You've seen how that might go down on VB and here.
It would be a bit like going around claiming to be a vegetarian whilst eating a chicken drum sick. You've seen how that might go down on VB and here.
yakherder
老外
It was the same political demographic that was organizing rallies for the creation of Israel when the government was either uninterested or unwilling. People went along with it, the vast majority knowing very little about the situation, just as they do now. For every informed person on either side of the deviate there are a hundred just going along with the group they have identified with. In this case, that group changed its mind half way through. Israel doesn't have that option.
In any case the choice was made, and the question is what to do now?
In any case the choice was made, and the question is what to do now?
yakherder
老外
Not exactly, because they don't claim to believe in God. It's more like enjoying vegetarian cuisine because you're married to a vegetarian while acknowledging that you are not one.
Blobbenstein
.......
let more stuff through the blockade? If there was less incentive for the tunnels being built then they might not get built.
yakherder
老外
I agree that the blockade probably does more harm than good, though the tunnel network predates the blockade and is not limited to Israel (Egypt has also had to destroy a network of Palestinian tunnels). With or without the blockade, Hamas will continue to be a problem. Options for dealing with Hamas are very limited.
