My Political Views
I am a centrist social libertarian
Right: 0.44, Libertarian: 5.6

Political Spectrum Quiz

I think this test is actually a little more accurate than the one I completed in June 2006. James Hellyer, where are you?

The original plans were ill-thought-through but at least allowed areas of land with majority Muslim populations to remain outside of Jewish control and vice versa. Unfortunately attacks from neighbouring countries put paid to that plan and left Israel in control of the west bank of the river Jordan and the Gaza Strip.

The US moved from being strongly against the League of Nations plan to, these days, providing much of Israel’s military capability and being the only Security Council country that does not regularly criticise Israel’s actions.

But this ridiculously quick summary of the history of modern Israel is nowhere near enough and I strongly recommend anyone who doesn’t know the full story reads it on Wikipedia or similar.

From the Telegraph website today:

With Palestinian medics saying the death toll had risen to more than 780, two Hamas rockets hit the Israeli town of Ashkelon.

It’s madness, it really is. You tickle a tiger often enough and it’s going to bite; now if the tiger has bitten the last thing you do is continue to tickle — you hope it speaks and you try and reason with it and apologise for your stupidity.

Hamas may not like Israel and may not believe it ought to exist, but the way to resolve this situation (not just the current crisis) is to engage — nothing, at all, will be achieved by murder and the Israelis deserve kudos for their patience with Hamas thus far.

If you agree, or even if you just know there’s no reason to believe in God, consider signing up (for free) as a Bright and spreading the 21st Century’s Enlightenment.

France, according to the last figures I saw, are contributing 200 troops, Bangladesh (commendably) 1,000 and Italy 3,000. For obvious reasons Britain and the US are unable to commit troops.

But surely, as the second most powerful miltary power in Europe, France should be contributing at least as many troops as the coalition-of-the-willing-Italy. Israel, I am sure, would have happily allowed Hezbollah to be disarmed by third parties with no direct benefit. Israel, by implication then, would have been happy for the UN to stop terrorists attacking it and kidnapping its soldiers.

But the UN, despite all the obvious need, is again shown to be toothless. Were I a terrorist in the Middle East watching on at this, I would be more concerned about the serious efforts of Israel, Britain, Italy and the US than I would be of the rest of the world combined. The UN, if it did its job, could stop Britain, Israel and the US from appearing to be bullies in a world full of real bullies (Hezbollah, Hamas and Al Qaeda).

So, France, put your money where your mouth is and help Israel and the Lebanon avoid further anti-state terrorist activity.

How this fits with my post, An Opportunity, I don’t know… Although a look at Pakistan’s responses muddies clarity no end!

So, why do I say that these are “amazing insights”?

Hezbollah adherents do not wear a badge that can be seen when the corpse is carried from the rubble. The terrorists that Israel are attacking are not an organised army with a uniform or identifying marks of any sort. So to say, as they are, that the victims are civilians requires intelligence better than that which the obscenely rich IDF (Israeli Defence Force) can call upon.

Frankly, if we are involved in a war again in the future, I think we should use BBC correspondents rather than spooks as their information is so certain and so precise.

Or, just maybe, the BBC is swallowing Green Helmet Guy’s lies hook, line and sinker… maybe.

Thanks to Ifyouwillit

Remember, treat propaganda as just that.