Beit HanounFollow

I nearly shed a tear watching waht these women did. There was footage of it on some BBC channel.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-ex-mideast3nov04,0,2270037.story?coll=la-home-headlines

It's the Israelis who complained heh

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/15924882.htm wrote:

Volleys of shots were fired toward them, sending the group rushing toward a nearby wall for cover, according to Associated Press Television News footage. In all, nearly 60 shots were heard on the footage, but it was not clear in every case who fired.

Two women, both age 40, were shot and killed, and at least 10 others were wounded, hospital officials said.

One of the wounded was Tahrir Shahin, a 36-year-old housewife. She said that after hearing the radio appeal, she left her seven children sleeping at home and set out for the mosque, an hour's walk away, with her sister. En route, a bullet hit Shahin's left leg; it had to be amputated above the knee.

Still, she said, she did not regret her choice. "I was so upset about what was happening, so I answered their call," she said from her hospital bed.

Maj. Avital Leibovich said Hamas was exploiting women. "They were using those poor women as human shields," she said. "This is a clear example of use of innocent population for terror."

I didn't know bullets had knees.

They're not. They are, however, aiding Hamas in a very obvious, physical way. More so then by giving them money, more so than by 'supporting' them -- they are walking out into the proverbial field of battle and making themselves a part of it.

Not that I advocate mowing them down but they don't get to play the "poor defenseless woman" card when they willingly walk in front of a gun.

They also probably have dark hair, are between 4'6" and 6'2" in height and ate a grain product in the last 48hrs.

All of which has just as much bearing once they consciously decide to make themselves human shields.

Good to see what side you are on, red. Piece of ****.

It's not a question of "side" you dIckhead.

Don't you understand, after all this time, that this is precisely the problem? That the world is populated by cretins like you, unable to have kind of objectivity or understanding that things might be just a tad more complicated than a simple of question "good/evil", "us/them".

The Israel/Palestine question has been going on for 60 years. Both sides have done many things which were wrong. No one has clean hands in this story.

But it's ok, keep you blinkered, one-sided view fo the world, and then wander why none of it makes any sense...

I think there should be. What Israel is doing in the Gaza Strip operates in a complete legal vaccum. It is not an Israeli territory, it is certainly not a "Palestinian territory" since Palestine isn't a legal entity.

So what is it? Is it occupation? Is it exra-judicial killings? Is even a "war", legally?

To put it another way: Either the Israeli occupy the Gaza strip, and then try these people in a court of law, like civilised nations do, or they don't, give Palestine a statehood, and then declare war on them and operate under the laws of war. At the moment, it's neither of these. It's a complete legal muddle. There are no laws, there is no scutiny, we are simply meant to take the Israelui Army's word for it. They label some Hamas militants "terrorists", and that's that? It allows to go into the Gaza strip and kill 40 people in a week? And then it's these women that "terrorise"?

Well I'm sorry, but that's complete bullshIt. Or, rather, it's double-standards.

If Palestinains were white and christians, and Isaelis were Arabs and Muslims, this situation would not have lasted 60 years. And all the pro-Israel people that blindly repeat the "terrorist" mantra would have a completely opposite view of the situation.

I'm not saying its only racism, but there is some of it. A lot of people turn a blind eye to what Israel does, justifying it with all this "war on terror" crap, and mix up Palestinians with Al-Qaeda. Even worse, citicising the Israeli government brings about charges of anti-semitism.

This whole debate is extremely skwewed in favour of the Iraelis in most Western media. And yes, it is extremely skwewed in favour of the Palestinians in most Arab media.

So, to go back to the question of these women, I think we should at least question what the Israeli army was doing. By asking questions such as: Was there really no alternative? Did these "Hamas militants" pose an immediate threat that justified shooting on a crowd of unarmed women? Could they not easily be find later on?

One life is one life.

I don't see how unarmed women are different than unarmed young men, unarmed old men or unarmed children so far as the value of their lives. They chose to put themselves into battle, which is more of a choice than some soldiers get. That said, I feel that official US policy towards the Middle East is unfairly skewed towards Israeli interests, and we don't particularly care if we're being fair to both sides when we act upon this issue.

No offense but did you type that with your face?

I guess my little morning caffeine fast can be blamed for that

apparently, everyone knew waht was going down in the neighborhood... and knew that the Jews were on the way... an announcement was made over the radio calling for people to help and the women all happened to be fed up and answered the call.


Not quite the Ride of the Valkryies, but hey.

I think that it is the cultural divide that makes you feel this way. No?

Your issue is that they were women? Would you be less disgusted if it was a bunch of college boys that did it instead?