Cohen: Beliefs about Gaza should be more than taking sides

I take a similar stance - I know that neither side is even close to innocent and that it's more or less devolved into an old-fashioned he said/she said spat.

That being said, I have a problem with the line of thinking that says "I'm a liberal, so I should be pro-Palestinian". What about thinking for yourself and taking a principled stand regardless of the official party line?

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• Posted by Hendrix321 on February 4, 2009 at 5:07 a.m.
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Cohen: Beliefs about Gaza should be more than taking sides

Linguo is correct!

And Ben.... Thank you for writing this and expressing the same feelings that many of us do. When it comes to collateral damage, though, Israel is avoiding civilian casualties whenever possible but not at the cost of its campaign to neutralize Hamas. Let's start by asking ourselves what happens when Israel kills a civilian:

1. Other Palestinians become angry and become more supportive of Hamas.
2. The world news media pressures Israel to stop firing.
3. Israeli civilians, often the most vocal critics of the occupation, become angry as well.

Now based off of those three factors, who benefits when civilians die? Hamas.

Hamas is to blame for the civilian casualties that have occured on both sides for the most part by intentionally placing civilians in the line of fire for political gain. When you place your missile battery in a hospital in which civilians are hiding for refuge you are to blame for their deaths when you attack your opposition's civilians with said missile battery, forcing a response.

This does not mean that Israel isn't at all to blame for the crisis in the first place, but I cannot place the blame for civilian casualties on them knowing what Hamas does. And the fact that this is a "guerrilla war" for Hamas is no excuse. If they want to fight in a sneaky manner to take on Israel they can do that while protecting their civilians at the same time.

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• Posted by connerm on February 4, 2009 at 8:41 a.m.
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Cohen: Beliefs about Gaza should be more than taking sides

We are carefully choosing words to obscure or make palatable what is going on. Collateral damage is killing, it is human blood and guts splattered all over the street. Everyone has a reason to hate someone. Hamas and like groups think they have a valid reason to hate and fear the West. They do not wish to lose their particular sense of identity, of who they are as Muslims. Of course, they should not obliterate the Jews. But, before we, as Americans, get too caught up in being self-righteous, how many in this county would gladly do the same thing given the opportunity? Hatred of the other because of religion or race is alive and flourishing. And, if you think that means no one is being killed, re-read the news.

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• Posted by irishswearingen on February 4, 2009 at 11:44 a.m.
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Cohen: Beliefs about Gaza should be more than taking sides

Wait, Linguo was RIGHT about something? What?

Sexily yours, Linguo's Long-Lost Secret Admirer

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• Posted by Brandon_Minster on February 5, 2009 at 11:21 a.m.
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Cohen: Beliefs about Gaza should be more than taking sides

Collateral damage is a part of war. Always has been, always will be. Further, to say that the Palestinian civilians are actually innocent is misleading at best. They are the ones who freely put Hamas in power. I feel sorry of the children, but children have always paid the price for the sins of their parents. Almost everyone seems to have forgotten that under the U.N. mandate, most of the Palestinian homeland was in what is now Jordon. The Jordanians would not tolerate the Palestinians and ejected them. Yet the Palestinians only take action against Israelis. Egypt sealed their border with the Gaza Strip. When the Palestinians tried to cross the border into Egypt to escape the recent military action, the Eqyptions killed hundreds of Palestinians. Yet it is only the Israelis who receive publicity for killing them. To expect a "proportional" response is lunacy. Who would have really argued that our response to the Pearl Harbor attack would have been to destroy only the same number of Japanese ships and airplanes? By this rationale, we should not have fought Germany in WW II, until they invaded the U.S. After all, they only declared war on the U.S. They didn't attack us. The only outcome of a war which brings about real peace is for one side to win and the other to lose. Don't believe me? Israel and the Arabs are "exhibit 1." This has gone on forover 60 years. Korea is another example. The "Cold War"between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. did not end until the U.S.S.R. collapsed. As has been said, Israeli-Arab violence will end only when Arabs love their children more than they hate the Jews.

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• Posted by jbarrett on February 4, 2009 at 6:05 p.m.
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Cohen: Beliefs about Gaza should be more than taking sides

jbarrett you are a wanker. A cold hearted mean spirited wanker.

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• Posted by irishswearingen on February 5, 2009 at 11:33 a.m.
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Cohen: Beliefs about Gaza should be more than taking sides

Irish, Long ago, I read that when one cannot argue using facts and logic, abuse your opponent. You have obviously taken this message to heart.

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• Posted by jbarrett on February 5, 2009 at 8:25 p.m.
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