"There is nothing wrong with that Jim, and no-one is claiming that there is.
Not unless Israel is unfairly singled out while the worse crimes of its enemies and other neighbours ignored."

Define unfairly. Define worse crimes. Tell us when we ignore what "its enemies and other neighbours" do. Tell us why we should always be obliged to catalogue the wrongdoings of other nations when we are discussing what Israel does. Little Jimmy was being told off by his teacher for pushing a girl. He complained that it wasn't fair because his friend Peter was worse because he'd been looking up girls' skirts. Hands up those of us who think the teacher should have let Jimmy off just because he wasn't telling Peter off at the same time. If you want to discuss the worse crimes of the other Middle East nations, start a thread on it. You could start with Saudi Arabia, which perpetrates human rights abuses that make most other countries look like fluffy bunnies. And I have said so many times. No ignoring by me.


"Then you have to ask why the Jewish state only is singled out for criticism."

It isn't. I for one have criticised Hamas (not a state, but hey ho) many times. You haven't noticed because it would be inconvenient for you to notice. I think my most recent attack on Hamas may have been in the last 24 hours. Saudi Arabia, see above.

"No-one is, and no decent democratic country even accuses israel of 'war crime and ats of terror.'"

Define decent. The US? Would you like me to repeat my litany of foreign policy abuses I made the other day? The U.K., which colluded in the invasion of Iraq, helping to cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and misery for millions? That kind of decent country? Why do you put war crimes and acts of terror in quotes? Should we ask the Lebanese children whose limbs were blown off by Israeli cluster bomblets left in hundreds of thousands all over their countryside about war crimes and acts of terror, or was that OK because their mums and dads were to blame? Or does collateral damage to children not count?   

"'only if everyone living there is a Muslim, otherwise I level the same stricture at them as I do at Israel for calling itself a Jewish state.'

Except that you never have Steve!"

OK, tell me who qualifies, Keith. You know me. I hate religion and I'll take no prisoners! I hold no candle for Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, etc. Not a one of them. They have one thing in common with Israel: I feel sorry for the ordinary people who live in all of them for their lack of security and guaranteed peace. We in the West have fuelled their conflicts and propped up their dictators and we should be ashamed.

To be honest, I don't know why I bother with you. Your take on the Middle East is simplistic, one-sided and argued from a position of wilful ignorance, especially in relation to Israel, and you don't have any original thoughts, resorting only to higher authorities. You set out to confirm your prejudices and shun any information that gets in the way.