Interesting read. Pulled a couple top comments from Reddit... I'm not sure what great threat olive trees pose, especially when they are the sole source of income for families who have lived on the land for generations... Not that this in any way excuses violence against Israelis, but it's hard to ignore cases like this where you just have to scratch your head and wonder what people are thinking. These things have real consequences.
ARTICLE:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...21936.html
INTERESTING COMMENTS:
Quote:Israeli here. Palestinian olive trees are often a target of uprooting, both by the Israeli governement and by extremist settlers. I'm ashamed that my goverment refuses to do anything about it, as this is truly a disgusting practice.
And for those saying it's Israeli land, it's not. I lived near this village. It's close to the border, but it's 100% on the Palestinian side of the border.
Quote:not just that, they were being bad jews by destroying fruiting trees . most wont think much of this, but considering Israel is supposed to be home to a group of people that defined themselves by their religion, I thought it was of note.
Palestinians bomb an Israeli bus and kill people = crickets.
Israel plows over some trees = war crime.
Ok.
(06-16-2015 06:02 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote: [ -> ]Palestinians bomb an Israeli bus and kill people = crickets.
Israel plows over some trees = war crime.
Ok.
Yeah, that was my first thought as well.
One is done by a lunatic, the other is done by a governmental action.
Do you not see the difference???.
(06-16-2015 09:56 AM)Machiavelli Wrote: [ -> ]One is done by a lunatic, the other is done by a governmental action.
Well, given that Hamas is the government of the West Bank - and they preach the destruction of Israel, I'd say that both are governmental actions.
Now, do I agree with the destruction of someone's means of making a living - no I don't - but condemning the Israelis for this and giving the Palestinians a pass is horsesh!t and you know it.
(06-16-2015 09:56 AM)Machiavelli Wrote: [ -> ]One is done by a lunatic, the other is done by a governmental action.
But the lunatic is doing is with the approval, and often the direct backing, of his "government."
Sounds like the Israelis have embraced the spirit of our Supreme Court's Kelo v New London decision.
(06-16-2015 10:34 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote: [ -> ]Sounds like the Israelis have embraced the spirit of our Supreme Court's Kelo v New London decision.
It's way worse than that.
Didn't you guys know? Israelis breathing is a war crime.
Nothing breeds extremism like poverty and desperation.
Bulldozing over someone's means of living isn't a good way to improve the situation.
And for people to dismiss it with a brush of the hand is beyond the pale
If the bastards had any sense they would help set up irrigation and they would help out the situation. Instead of bulldozers set up irrigation ditches. Morons. They don't want them there . It's obvious.
(06-16-2015 12:20 PM)Machiavelli Wrote: [ -> ]If the bastards had any sense they would help set up irrigation and they would help out the situation. Instead of bulldozers set up irrigation ditches. Morons. They don't want them there . It's obvious.
And what do you think that would accomplish?
You have this incredibly naive notion that all that is needed is for Israel to play nicer and somehow magically everything will work. That's simply incorrect.
(06-16-2015 12:21 PM)Machiavelli Wrote: [ -> ]Hate breeds hate
Let's be realistic too and not ignore the fact that terrorist groups harbored by Palestinians make life harder for the citizens there.
It creates a built in excuse for every wrong thing Israel does, which is why we so commonly see people make make excuses for everything Israel does.
Let's make no mistake that if we're looking at both countries at a macro level, Israel is better 1000 times out of 1000, but we also need to be willing to criticize them when they're doing bad things.
(06-16-2015 12:59 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: [ -> ] (06-16-2015 12:20 PM)Machiavelli Wrote: [ -> ]If the bastards had any sense they would help set up irrigation and they would help out the situation. Instead of bulldozers set up irrigation ditches. Morons. They don't want them there . It's obvious.
And what do you think that would accomplish?
You have this incredibly naive notion that all that is needed is for Israel to play nicer and somehow magically everything will work. That's simply incorrect.
True, but they're only making it worse.
(06-16-2015 11:36 AM)Niner National Wrote: [ -> ]Nothing breeds extremism like poverty and desperation.
Bulldozing over someone's means of living isn't a good way to improve the situation.
Agreed.
Obviously there's a difference between shooting rockets into towns and bulldozing fruit trees, but at the same time if you want to help stop extremism, giving people more reason to hate you is not a great way to do it.
(06-16-2015 01:21 PM)NIU007 Wrote: [ -> ] (06-16-2015 12:59 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: [ -> ] (06-16-2015 12:20 PM)Machiavelli Wrote: [ -> ]If the bastards had any sense they would help set up irrigation and they would help out the situation. Instead of bulldozers set up irrigation ditches. Morons. They don't want them there . It's obvious.
And what do you think that would accomplish?
You have this incredibly naive notion that all that is needed is for Israel to play nicer and somehow magically everything will work. That's simply incorrect.
True, but they're only making it worse.
Perhaps.
But that's really only a valid consideration if there's a better out there, and in this case there really isn't a better. That's the part that I find frustrating to try to discuss. People have this idea that oh, we can just do this two-state solution and everything will be okay. No it won't. The two-state solution basically leaves everything exactly where it is today. It solves nothing. The same problems are still there. The "apartheid" aspects are worse. Nothing is better.
(06-16-2015 09:56 AM)Machiavelli Wrote: [ -> ]One is done by a lunatic, the other is done by a governmental action.
The unprovoked rockets that are sent into Israel are from the Palestinian government. And the world is silent ...
Those bastard Palestinians. To hell with them.