re: Israel

Quoting TheNuge:" It's really scary and it could be an even more unstable middle east or more."

I think it could be the beginning of the end for us. I just DO NOT want to US to get involved. They need to be Switzerland about this. Also my sister and my boyfriend (who is Israeli) are supposed to go to Israel in a few months and one of my good friends is supposed to study in Haifa next semester and I do not want them to go. It's not safe.

Quoting empire state of mind:" I think so. I always was under the impression that Britain gave it to them. IDK how true that is though. I learned it a long time ago."

then it's Israel's land. It would be like if the bank took your house and sold it to someone else and you refused to move and killed the people who moved in

Quoting empire state of mind:" I think it could be the beginning of the end for us. I just DO NOT want to US to get involved. They ... [snip!] ... few months and one of my good friends is supposed to study in Haifa next semester and I do not want them to go. It's not safe."

I would not let them go, steal their passports!

Quoting summerbabyX2:" then it's Israel's land. It would be like if the bank took your house and sold it to someone else and you refused to move and killed the people who moved in"

But why does Britain (or anyone else for that matter) get to decide whose land it is? It's not like Palestine wasn't paying rent (going with the bank analogy).

Quoting summerbabyX2:" I would not let them go, steal their passports!"

My sister is in Aruba right now or I would! haha.
I'm trying to convince my sister to come to Greece with me in August...which also isn't a super place to go right now, but it's better then anywhere in the Middle East!

Quoting Sofia's Mummy♥:" What about atrocities by the Israelis? And it's highly unlikely that the vote is even democratic there, ... [snip!] ... even democratic there, so the majority of people probably don't want to be run by a terrorist organisation.. think Afghanistan,"

They voted overwhelmingly for Hamas.

Quoting Supafly★:" I don't know a lot about what's going on so maybe someone can tell me - why are we(the US) supporting ... [snip!] ... the Israelis just marched right in and settled there. Is that true? Also, do they both have nuclear weapons or just Israel? "

Not exactly true...the Israelis have been in Israel since BC they didnt just march in one day and take it from the Palestinians. There has been in influx of Jews there since the 1940's because the European jews came there looking for refuge after the holocaust. The conflict then heated up after the U.N. implemented the Partition Plan to help with the Jewish refugees. Israel was supposed to be split into Arab and Jewish territories and the Arabs thought it unfair which started the War for independence in 1948. The Palestinians are not just helpless victims.

Quoting summerbabyX2:" there's no question that they are each killing each other and it's terrible. BUT we agreed to protect ... [snip!] ... to protect Israel and we support them because they're supposed to be helping in "the war on terror" to kill the terrorists"

I suppose it's better to be on their side than against them, in a keep friends close, enemies closer type way, but I don't think we should blindly protect them and make allowances for their atrocities against the innocent Palestinian women and children that live in the Gaza Strip.

Quoting summerbabyX2:" then it's Israel's land. It would be like if the bank took your house and sold it to someone else and you refused to move and killed the people who moved in"

The Palestinians resided there and had for a long time.. was it really Britain's to give?

Quoting empire state of mind:" But why does Britain (or anyone else for that matter) get to decide whose land it is? It's not like Palestine wasn't paying rent (going with the bank analogy). "

to be honest, I really don't know. But it was decided, and they need to come to terms with it. It would be like if all the sudden the Native Americans started an uprising to get their land back in the US, that wouldn't go over really well. I really don't think it's even about the settlements. They have always fought and will always fight and we need to back out and just let them sort it out. I don't want some issue like this that's always been there and will always be there to be our down fall

And a little off topic...but all this Birthright smurf really bothers me. Jews get free trips to Israel and all that and it's paid for by the Israeli government...Um that's the homeland for a lot of different religions, not just Jews.

Quoting empire state of mind:" And a little off topic...but all this Birthright smurf really bothers me. Jews get free trips to Israel ... [snip!] ... all that and it's paid for by the Israeli government...Um that's the homeland for a lot of different religions, not just Jews."

  

The whole thing is just stupid Abrahamic sibling rivalry. And people say religion DOESN'T cause wars.

Quoting Sofia's Mummy♥:"    The whole thing is just stupid Abrahamic sibling rivalry. And people say religion DOESN'T cause wars."

Sad but true...and a religious war is a war that will never end and can never be won.

Quoting Sofia's Mummy♥:"    The whole thing is just stupid Abrahamic sibling rivalry. And people say religion DOESN'T cause wars."

religion is pretty much the cause of all war in one way or another. And we supported Israel because after the holocaust the Jews had no where to go and needed our protection so Israel was created as their new home since their homes were all taken from them

Quoting summerbabyX2:" to be honest, I really don't know. But it was decided, and they need to come to terms with it. It would ... [snip!] ... let them sort it out. I don't want some issue like this that's always been there and will always be there to be our down fall"

Yea, but we took the land for ourselves. Someone didn't come into America and go...hey here's my brofriend I'm going to give them your land.

I think that makes a difference. Not that I think what we did to NAs was right, but I think there is a difference in taking something and using it for yourself versus taking something for the sake of taking for someone else.