""Both sides have "screwed the pooch" yet there is a notable imbalance of placement of blame IMO. My belief is that the motivation for this is based on sentiment rather than impartial analysis of the situation. Take for example the lack of comment on the points made in my post of 30 Nov 12 - 08:27 PM, an argument based on law and treaty convention, a reasonable basis for discussion. Yet it is totally ignored by the same posters beating the same dead horse ad nauseam.""

Impartial analysis. OK!

The Gazans, incensed by Israel's violations of its borders, sinking of numbers of its fishing fleet, blockading its imports and exports , wantonly smashing up houses and schools in unsuccessful searches and shoooting to kill civilians who later (this from Israeli sodiers accounts) constitute a considerable part of Israel's list of terrorists killed, respond with largely ineffectual weapons which manage to kill an average of 2 Israelis per year for ten years.

Israel in response uses all its highly efficient bang up to date military resources to bomb Gaza to a heap of rubble, close all its borders except for a couple of tunnels into Egypt (which, due to an established rapport with Israel is impeding their use) through the Israeli built on Gazan land fence.

This, according to the Israeli apologists on this thread, does not constitute restriction, does not remove the ability to earn and purchase necessities, does not affect adversely the daily lives of civilians and has no bearing on the malnourishment of Gazans in general and particularly their children.

Then they fall back on "Hamas are intending to annihilate all Israelis", which, as a piece of wild exaggeration is unparalelled.

Hamas have as much chance of destroying Israel as Keith has of flapping his ears and flying.

It would however be no problem for Israel to squeeze all the Palestians they don't managed to kill across the border to Egypt, which would gain them a really comfy homeland.

Netanyahu and Likud will not unaware of that possibility and the more US and other Western support they get, the mor likely the move in that direction.

Don T.