On 6/4/2010 1:38 PM Kurt Ullman spake thus:

In article ,
David Nebenzahl wrote:

It's just an extension of the usual "never again" absolutism, the tired
resort to the Holocaust as eternal justification to whatever the State
of Israel does to "defend itself".

Hamas is the *democratically elected* representative of the
Palenstinians in Gaza, like them or not.

Of course merely being democratically elected is not the concern.
The fact that they then attack Israel, or at absolute best allow the
attacking of Israel, is the reason the Israelis are somewhat upset. If
the rockets stop, then the blockade might, also.

You seem a little more rational than the other foamers-at-the-mouth
here, so I'll attempt to parlay with you.

Regarding the rockets: Oh, the rockets, all those thousands of rockets
the Palestinians fire at the Israelis: how could you have the least bit
of sympathy at those horrible people who are firing *all those rockets*???

Do you know anything about those rockets, those Qassams? Do you know how
crude and ineffective they are? Do you know that the people who do fire
them (and yes, some have been fired at Israel, though not the thousands
upon thousands that the Israeli propagandists have claimed) basically
light them, then pray that they might hit *something*? Anything?

Really, that excuse for Israel's disproportionate military actions is as
tired as Krauthammer's Holocaust comparisons. The proportion of
Palestinian killings of Israelis by their crude rockets to the
proportion of Palestinians killed by modern Israeli armaments (much of
them supplied by US, mind you) is minuscule. Tiny.

Sorry, I ain't buying it. If Israel ever showed any forthright intent to
change their policies toward Gaza and the Palestinians, the rocket
attacks would instantly cease, as they have in the past.

For an alternative explanation of why Israel did what it did, read he

http://counterpunch.org/amiri06042010.html

Long story short: Israel does w