Higgly

The rules of grammar indicate that by following my "they" with a response using "they", you are adopting my context - i.e. they = Iranians. In any case, if the Palestinians had the freedom to defend their land, you would not be seeing articles like this in Ha'aretz

Thanks for acknowledging my point.

Canadians attack Israel because they are ashamed of their own country? O brother. For more on this topic see my post here

Well, they have the freedom to defend themselves.

According to this Washington Post article, close to 40% of Israeli settlements have been built on Palestinian private land. This includes 86% of Ma'ale Adumim, the settlement that Israel has built to cut the West Bank off from East Jerusalem and 35% of Ariel, one of the largest settlements. There are major implications. Israel is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions which forbid the settlement of occupied lands and which specify that land registries in existence before the occupation must be respected. I recall seeing a video bite in the many, many hours of video reporting on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It was taken after a suicide bombing. An Israeli-American woman was shown looking plaintively into the camera and asking "Why do they hate us? We don't hate them." Here is a Ha'aretz article backing up the UN report and further describing how some 75% of Israeli built settlements were built without valid permits, further proof that Israel has been enforcing neither the Geneva Conventions nor its own laws. The international community has been saying for years that the settlements are illegal under international law. Now it turns out they are illegal under even Israeli law. The appearance of this artcicle on the eve of US Middle Eastern Envoy George Mitchell's visit has to be seen as a challenge to the Obama administration. If it does not seize on this opportunity to leverage a just peace for the Palestinians, then clearly nothing has changed in US foreign policy, new adminstration or not. --------------- Edited to correct spelling of Ma'ale Adumim and East Jerusalem

Let's all step back a momo and consider who might accuse Israel of burning babies to a deathly cinder by using white P. It must be a.. oh wait.. a global... And then we have cluster bombs. Torture. The Geneva Conventions. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty. Damn. Israel. Come and see the Church of the Nativity! Oops.

A very good thread. The Key is Lebanon. I feel nothing can be resolved until Dick Cheney answers for his crimes in the Hague. America is nothing until it recognizes the World Court. Truth and reconciliation. Present!

Watch for foreign dignataries who will be on the podium inaugauration day. Look past the Hollywood crap. What are we really seeing?

Just finished watching Harper trying to save face by paying tribute to the Black America thang. The Obama administration is starting to send messages. Harper has been a Bush man. Hard to see how Ignatieff can claim to be anything better. We shall see what we shall see...

Rue, I must say I am surprised at your newfound magnanimity towards me, given some of the insinuations and accusations you have hurled at me in the past. I would like to clear up one point though. The comment I made about Jews moving to New York was in response to the all too often heard remark from Israel's supporters that all of the Palestinians should move to Jordan. Perhaps you can use your own reaction to my comment to guage how a Palestinian must feel when hearing such comments. I have voluntarily abesnted myself from MLW because I was finding it too difficult to keep a civil tongue in my head. However, I am pleased to see that there is new blood on the board with a more balanced view of the world, so perhaps I'll be a more frequent visitor in the future.

So what do you think of the fact that the major US banks have just had to sell a big chunk of themselves to investors from the Arab and Chinese world for chump change to save their fat arses as a result of the credit crisis? My advice is that you wipe the cowshit off your windshield, Clem, the crows are eatin' yer corn and the rev'nooers are haulin' off yer combine....

Anthony. given that your signature includes the following line: "Le canadien anglais est poli mais malhonnête.", I look forward to your suspension.

So on the one hand you say they would have congested the roads and on the other you say they were forced to walk on the roads. Good grief.

Exactamundo. Clinton didn't get to be a senator from new yawk by standing up for truth in poltics. The American political system is completely compromised by money.

What? You think they would have let them walk on the roads? Talk about "not a clue"!

The surge is working because it has turned into an occupation. We will all have great-grandchildren before it ends. Iraqi refugees are returning. Of course this is because the Syrians have cut off their visas....

If the tracks had been bombed, the Nazis would have made the Jews walk. More proof that Bush hasn't a clue.

OMG! What he said! Let's play Bigot for a Day!

The whole problem here is that we expect others to honour our sacred cows while we piss all over theirs. Dumb idea.

This is too precious. Bush lands at Tel Aviv airport and the first political speech we hear is from Omert condemning Iran! At least in Bahrain George W. Bush got to wave a sword in the air... Talk about the tail waving the ass. LOL.

Well finally an American President has found the balls to stand up to Israel and tell it to end the occupation. Not surprisingly, it is one who doesn't have to worry about getting re-elected. Those of you who might be bewilbered by this comment should have a look into US Presidential election campaign funding, and kiss the ground that Jean Chretian walks on. Enough said.... So the Israelis have their wall. They could have had it under the Carter administration but the old peanut farmer kept talking about those bothersome 1967 borders. What a schmiel! And so now Mad Goerge has told the Israelis to get real and stop their human rights abuses in the West Bank. Will the Israelis listen? Fuggedaboubit! They'll do what they always do. Stall and back a better candidate. Hillary for Prez! Watch her campaign take off. Just saying. LOL.

I hereby christen thee "bewilbered"

Good idea. Let's all declare Long Island Sound an international water which any navy in the world may patrol because its host country feels that it has an obligation to protect a commercial interest. LOL.

I guess I missed the rest, To whom did you say? To Canada? To Great Britain? To Russia? China? Any takers...? What am I missing?

Now there's an idea. Why not bomb Vietnam?