Bob Simon, a respected journalist, now with 60 Minutes, is under fire from pro-Israel groups for showing a piece on the illegal and heinous settlements on Palestinian land. Check them out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_UwGgLdmdI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8KwUSQL9zc&feature=related

And as you watch, you will see at the end what the world is up against. It is not only Israeli Zionism, but religious fundamentalism around the world.

How do we confront and defuse such ticking time bombs, such people who are sure that their way is the right way, the only way? We must defuse them and their supporters, because they will blow this world up if we don't.

"All Nature's difference keeps all Nature's peace." Alexander Pope

...and they wonder why Hamas keeps on launching their puny rockets at them.

Often, you get better information about Israeli policies by reading the Israeli press than you do by reading US press. Here's an article from Ha'aretz, the Israeli daily newspaper:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1060043.html

Yesh Din is an example of the one and only Hope for the Palestinians. Israeli Jews themselves. No Boycott, no UN pressure, no Nothing will effect Israeli policy from outside it's borders. 60 years of recent history illustrate this. Impervious.

However, were one tenth, one twentieth of the Israeli Jewish population to mobilize against the decimation within the the Occupied Territories, vocally demonstrate, policy on the ground could be radically altered.

To every Jewish Israeli Voice for Peace, oh Tres Bien, talk to your brothers and sisters. You are the Only Hope. azjoe

I hear nothing but lies from these genocidal Israeli Jews and their supporters.
And now to top everything:

Peres says Israel kills for 'democracy'

Sure, just like Hitler did!

I encourage everyone to spend a couple hours exploring the West Bank using the Google Maps satellite images.

Start here at Ramallah,

http://tinyurl.com/bdd3xs

Then explore around, makng sure to zoom in as needed - go south past east Jerusalem past Bethelehem to the Dead Sea, then north, up the Jordan river valley.

Even if they wereen't labeled with Hebrew names, the "settlements" are obvious from the large luxuriuus homes on wide suburban streets, swimming pools and health clubs (often labeled for some reason). Note the walled Jewish settlements that have taken over all the good farmland of the Jordan Valley. Everything is linked by a network of excellent highways.

Then, note the the dirt-road shantyyowns and slums and refugee camps on the rocky hillsides and ravines. All are bypassed by the nice Jew only limited-access highways. Physical barricades block the palestinian dirt roads where they cross the Jewish highways. These are, of course, where the Palestinians live. This is the "Palestinian State" Isreal is offering them. They would get almost none of the Jordan valley except the uninhabitable desert near the dead sea. They would get their hillside camps and their poverty. If they dare demonstrate against their conditions, they will get brutally repressed by compliant, corrupt palestinain-puppet-police out of Ramallah.

These are the facts on the ground that Isreal has been building. And this "Palestinian State" Israel is offering would make any US "Indian" reservation look wildly generous in comparison.

---USAn---

And this country, Israel, expects recognition by the Palestinians? If change is what's it all about: Barack Obama, when are you going to tackle this issue? Your sucking up to AIPAC, and several of your speeches regarding the Middle East, literally demand a stance on this. Israel wants the Palestinians out, final!! Forget about negotiations if a blind eye is turned on this.

What I never understood is why the US right-wing who promote the sacred principles of free markets, guns, and private property, also support Israel so strongly!

Isn't Israel committing "illegal takings" of Palestinian Private Property?

Isn't Israel denying the Palestinians their Right To Bear Arms For Self Defense?

And finally, aren't the checkpoints and the wall restricting Palestinian business activity and denying them access to Free Markets?

Zionism sounds pretty socialistic and anti-freedom to me!

- USAn

Israel can be hurt with boycotts.

Too bad they cant get sanctions.
Iranians had their hotmail access cut off recently. Colombians faces all sorts of restrictions.

Little things like that would drive Israelis crazy.

Keep their academics from speaking abroad.

Too bad arab countries still trade with Israel. They sell out the Palestinians first and foremost.

They do what they do because they face no consequences in their lives.

I dont think the peace groups there are large enough to have much impact.
The most high profile ones end up leaving the country.
And it sounds like it is getting more fanatical with each generation.

Still the Bob Simon report was refreshingly one sided(as in fair).
Is the Israeli government serious about removing settlements?
I doubt it-but it does sound like a religious-secular war is coming there.

Didnt the IDF sink a ship of armed militia jews after the founding of Israel?

There was a piece the other day right here, although not only on CD, called "Fueling the Cycle Of Hate".

I personally think it would be a good idea for all posters to consider the actual universal implications of this title, as it applies to everyone, anytime and any place. Because *that* is the underlying problem, whatever 'side' we happen to be on.

And i would like to suggest that many posts here lately, seem to reflect attitudes and interpersonal discourse that represent the very kinds of hatred that people are railing against -from all directions. The irony is pretty apparent.

Refusing to realize this is why history repeats itself (or rhymes, as has been said).

Peace.

Good on Yesh Din.

Not one single poster who has commented here has, so far as I can see, offered the slightest bit of justification for Israel's illegal settlements activity, even to repeat the hackneyed excuses about these settlements as essential to Israel's "self defense" (as did the one Israeli woman on Bob Simon's piece who defended settlers as protectors of the country, which I believe was the original intention of the settler movement.) With Israel's U.S. defenders totally muted---at least here---one wonders about how out-of-touch is the U.S. Congress and presidency in their enunciation of policies that sound like they were formulated in Tel Aviv---or worse.

I recall in the old testament when Lot was debating with his god about the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked his god to spare the cities if he could find some honest men within its walls. His god agreed but Lot failed to find any.

This article notes that there are at least some honest folks in Israel, thus I would say to those calling for the destruction of Israel that it would be far more compassionate if you called for the increase in the numbers of those who seek peace with the Palestinian people and an end to the heinous actions of their own government. If you call for the destruction of Israel then it is only fair to call for the same destruction of the USA which has done far more harm and for far longer.

I am aware that, within Israel , there are many who protest the actions of their govt. with respect to the Palestinians and would note that the figure of 95% who agree with the recent slaughter seems wrong to me. The issue is peace not further destruction and the calling for an end to a nation is not helpful at all.

"Most people would sooner die than think, in fact they do so. Bertrand Russell

"Israeli authorities are systematically violating international law"

As they have since the inception of Israel. They have ALWAYS been a lawless country who shows nothing but contempt to the international community.

Hamas shoots missiles in the hopes of squeezing Israelis out of Southern Israel. Israel builds settlements, in hopes of squeezing Arabs out of the West Bank. Quid pro quo.

Israeli settlement-building says to the Palestinians: no, time is not on your side.

Subtract Israel from modern history and voila!: We have a world with no PLO, no Hamas, no Hezbollah, no war in Iraq, and little or no conflict between U.S. and Syria and Iran. Very likely there would be little to fuel the hatred of Osama bin Laden and his ilk and, hence, no 9/11. Millions could come out of their graves and hiding places into a much more peaceful world. Hundreds of billions of dollars would be saved

Given this alternative reality, one can only conclude that the British Mandate that fulfilled the Zionist's imagined covenant with God to return to the Promised Land of ancient history was easily the greatest blunder in Human history. Modern Israel -- no matter how democratic or well intentioned it sees itself -- may well be the source of World War III – and a real and unprophesied Armegeddon.

Although the world would unquestionably be poorer without Jewish culture, it’s important to understand what the effects of Zionism and the taking of an Arab country have been.

What a great idea to sue the Israeli Government, the same Government that, working with the IDF, have pushed Palestinians off their land and allowed settlements to be built all over the place.

The Israeli Government, the one elected by the Israel people, are the crooks. What chance is there of such a suit succeeding?

The Israelis don't even admit to their war crimes when the evidence is all over our television screens.

A big U.N. force needs to invade Israel and drive them off Palestinian land, push them back to the 1967 borders, then disarm them.

There is no other solution!

www.dangerouscreation.com

George C. Brown - This is a great idea, but in the meantime the U.S. government needs to stop selling (giving, under the guise of "aid") arms and armaments to Israel until they will sit down and bargain in GOOD FAITH with regard to letting the Palestinians have their own land WITHOUT Israeli intrusion!

Yesh Din is proof that there is still good in the world.

I hope that they can help the Palestinians. I hope that the Palestinian people who have no reason what-so-ever to trust an Israeli will know that these Israeli's are different.

I am glad there are groups like Yesh Din who believe in justice and are in a position to do something about it.

Israel continues to stall as they fill in more and more of Palestine with illegal settlements. At this rate it looks like there is really only a one-state solution - something that many Israeli jews should fear because the would be voted out of power by Palestinians, if they actually granted them equal rights.

Carter's use of the word Apartheid to describe the current situation seems accurate.

Politicscorner

The usual Arabist complaint: Hamas is required under International Law to attack Israel. Israel is required under International Law to pretend that there is peace.

What really, really gets to me with regard to the West Bank in Israel is that every single time the West Bank is shown on any map of any mainstream media newscast or newspaper, we are shown one whole area of land. We are NOT shown the actual reality of the multitude of Jewish settlements and outposts, military outposts and checkpoints, crisscrossing Israeli-only highways, or the great swaths of off-limit zones as is the case along the entire Jordan River. So what actually remains of the West Bank to the Palestinians are just South Africa-style Bantustans. SO the general public does NOT see the reality nor has a clue of what the West Bank (surrounded by the "security fence") actually means.

To try and even find an UPDATED map of the West Bank showing all the FRAGMENTATION is near impossible. Here's a detailed map from March 2007 that needs updating: http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/9fb163c870bb1d6785256cef0073c89f/0fdeb2117237384e852572f30047059f!OpenDocument

Bill

No one has noted that the AP account begins with a false premise, that there are legal settlements and illegal settlements. All of the settlements in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza, military zones, land confiscations, water confiscations, Israeli-only roads, nature preserves, checkpoints, border closures, and attacks on the occupied territories populations are illegal, criminal, and many war crimes.

Bill

No one has noted that the AP account begins with a false premise, that there are legal settlements and illegal settlements. All of the settlements in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza, military zones, land confiscations, water confiscations, Israeli-only roads, nature preserves, checkpoints, border closures, and attacks on the occupied territories populations are illegal, criminal, and many war crimes.

Our Government Is On The Wrong Side In The Mideast Conflict

"As determined by?"

"Self-interest."

"Which is?"

"First and foremost keeping us safe."

"Brought about by?"

"Supporting justice for the Palestinian people."

"How will that make us safe?"

"America's sponsorship of the settler-state Israel is the root cause of the violence in and beyond the Mideast."

"Anything else?"

"Having lost its only ally the Israelis will have no choice but to sit down with the Palestinians for the purpose of working things out."

"Based on?"

"One equal one."

"Anything else?"

"Liberty and justice for all."

Israel is expanding into Iraq as part of the "Greater Israel". This crap has to stop.

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4301.shtml

Pan

Great to see here,

you can fool some of the people some of the etc..... indeed Americans do think am well pleased .
I myself want fairness for Jews but not at the expense of others sufferings and loss of rights, as LAND FARMS WATER so some (HOGS) can use their religion to STEAL for some 2000 year old Deed to land and rights by a ??? their ?? Holy men.
I hope the American Indians don`t show up with a Shamans drawings and evict and imprison me where I live, BUT Naw they don`t have the money or media control and the Evangelicals would never help them . Theres no Rapture or end of the world stuff in it at collections time to build a mega church on.

Some very clever people in the media and yes I did not believe 60 minutes had commited suicide BUT! I saw it and whoa.. hell fire a leak in the damn.

Just tell it like it is.

Liberty and freedom for All

ALLLLLL

Israel tried a sixty-year experiment in living with Arabs. It didn't work out. Now it's time to do to the Palestinians, as the Arabs have done to the Jews, etc.