From last few weeks, all over the world people are concentrating and observing the news on Israel’s attack over Gaza, a Palestinian town. The heavy bombardment and ground offence killed more innocents than those who are mainly targeted by Israel. We are less interested in who is wrong? and who is right either Israel or Palestine because for that we need to go back in history and dig out the facts and historical events took place between these two countries.
We are keener to know what and how international community has reacted on recent Gaza attack? And for that, the best way is to record their opinions. So we chose Orkut.com a social networking site as a medium and OrkutHeroes.com as a stage to put the respective and most intelligent thoughts from the people we approached.
From many out of 10s -50 different comments we received from orkut users, we chose only few best to keep in this article.
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Yusuf Kar is from East Bay Area Califorinia - The problem of Gaza is deep rooted. It’s based on deep hatred of certain elements in Israel towards Palestinians and certain elements of Palestine towards Israel. The Palestinian Freedom Struggle from the beginning went into wrong footing. They resorted to violence and threw away all Islamic principles of fighting. The result is before us. A community which has lost full fledged support amongst its own.
On other hand Israel with its continuous high handedness is failing to realize that you can not ask help from neighbors eight doors away from you when you are constantly fighting with your immediate neighbors. Its time Israel rethinks its policies of uncontrolled violence and retribution on Palestinians and hold the olive branch.
In this fight we are helpless observers affiliated in our support to whoever we identify ourselves with.
But in neutral perspective I believe Israel has the right to exist, Palestinians have the right to have a decent life and both nations should unite, isolate the extreme elements and give every person the basic right to live.
It doesn’t matter if 1 Israeli is killed or 10 Palestinians are killed. Every life lost in this violence is condemnable. Every life lost has left beloved ones who can never fill that vacuum.
Lets hope peace prevail in the region, extremism is shunned from both sides and the world leaders act with firmness to solve this problem for once and all.
Gaza has become like a concentration camp as said by the Vatican City and if the Israelis and Palestinians can not solve their issues – its time for the world to step forward and solve their issues for them so that this endless suffering of people ends in the land which is Holy for Christians, Muslims and Jews.
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Asit Kumar from Singapore- If I say that the latest turn of events in Middle East are unfortunate then even that would be an understatement. The loss of innocent lives cannot be justified at all. But more than Israel, I hold the Arab nations responsible for this barbarism.
In 1947 when UK decided to leave Palestine, United Nations approved a partition plan dividing the country amongst the Arabs and the Jews. The Jews accepted it but the Arabs did not. To make matters worst they started guerilla attacks against the Jews. The Jews had no option but to retaliate. In 1948, Various Arab nations started a full scale war with Israel. Yet again Israel retaliated with full might and venom. And ever since then attacks and counter attacks have become a norm of Middle East.
Israel is a very small country with a population of 75 lakhs only. And to make matters worst it is surrounded by all the Arab nations who are willing to eat it up like hungry vultures. When ever a child in Israel gets up in the morning, he is not too sure if he will be able to see his parents in the after noon or not!! Who knows from which corner will a terrorist appear and blow himself up along with many other innocents!!
History is marred with the blood of Jews. They have been persecuted time and again. First by the Muslims, then by the Orthodox Christians and finally by the Nazis. And once again they have become a victim of Arab terrorism. Keeping their blood stained history and present condition in mind, I don’t think Israel will be able to survive even a single day if it stops being aggressive.
Israel is a very aggressive state and its message to the Arabs is crystal clear – ‘Let us be in peace and we will let you be in peace. But if you attack us then we will make sure that every ounce of blood in your veins gets squeezed out’ . Now the ball is in the court of the Arabs.
If we have a look at the incidents of the past, we will realize that Israel has hit back only when it has been attacked. The latest attack on Gaza is also a reaction of the action in which the terrorists from Hamas killed few Israeli soldiers. Had their soldiers not been killed, Israel would have never invaded Gaza. The fault actually lies with the terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah etc whose cadre attack Israel and then take hide in civilian areas dominated by women, children and other innocents. The fault also lies with other Arab nations who support these terrorists’ organizations by cash or kind.
I agree that the reaction of Israel has always been extreme. I agree that many a time it ends up killing innocents. But if the Arabs are really concerned about the loss of life, then they should stop making terrorist attacks on Israel in the first place. Neither will they attack Israel nor will Israel make any counter attacks.
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Luke from United States. – Israel used terrorism in the past and its attitudes show that it keeps on using it. But in my vision, it is a kind of terrorism to try to destroy another one. Anyhow, it’s a shame to kill hundreds of innocent people, including children and old-aged people. The International Community can not keep its mouth shut just watching what is happening. It does not matter how many Israelites or how many Palestinian were killed; what really matters is that people are dying in vain. I don’t know who is right or who is wrong or if both are right or wrong in this War, but for sure I know we can not allow Israel nor Hamas to keep on killing. Life is more important than anything in this world.
We have to be sensible and realize what is reality and what is illusion in War on Gaza. Hamas does not mean an existential danger to Israel but a delinquent group capable of causing death and damage with its rockets launched against Israeli cities. In my opinion, the main cause for all of these absurdities which have been happening is the fundamentalist-terrorist ideology of Hamas, which has as basis the total disrespect to life. Bomb men, human shields, annihilation (death!) to the Jewish people. Gaza was given back by Israel to become a nation, not a cellar of terrorists.
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Devdeep Ahuja from Sheffield United Kingdom - Since 1982, when pro Lebanese phalangist militia attacked the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla, killing over 1700 civilians, with the go ahead of Israel defense forces, it has been quite an understanding in the political world that US is acting as a big brother to Israel to carry out massive human rights violations.
This long record of impunity for the Israeli government, in barefaced aggression and military overkill, perpetrating gross human rights violations, war crimes, and even genocide must be seen in the context of unshakeable US backing — military, economic, political, and diplomatic. With the acquiescence of the other big powers, this continuing US support explains in large part the destructiveness, brutality, and callousness exhibited by the IDF in the recent attacks on Gaza.
Israel remains the single biggest recipient of US aid, getting a hefty US $3 billion annually. A country of around 6 million people, it is currently receiving more US aid than all of Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, taking out Egypt and Colombia. It has a nuclear arsenal that would be the envy of the countries named by US President Bush as constituting an “axis of evil..
The UN resolutions calling for cease fire have been sabotaged by US and It rejected calls for Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza and attacked the proposed resolution for not condemning Hamas’ firing rockets into Southern Israel as “terrorist” acts.
One does not have to be partisan for Hamas or against the Israeli government to acknowledge the truth articulated by UN President Miguel d’Escoto Brockman on the day of the Gaza air strikes, “The behavior by Israel in bombarding Gaza is simply the commission of wanton aggression by a very powerful state against a territory that it illegally occupies.”
I simply feel that US needs to be taught that if you are the big brother, you should not support your younger brother even in crimes, but bring the younger round to the correct path. But Bush, in his adulation of power, can never understand this. Even the shoes in Iraq have not taught him a lesson, it seems.
So I think even Israel is just a puppet, its the bigger picture which is some times missed in the context. But I know just one of these days, America will cross its limits and that will lead to its destruction. But I just hope that threshold is never reached and we see Obama having more humanitarian policies than Big Uncle Bush.
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Alkesh Rochwani from Ahmedabad India.- Where is the world heading..An open War! and superpowers and UN and other peace making organizations doing nothing about it… A stock market where the investors are not sure about the balance sheets of blue chip companies to be true.. some few young terrorists sabotage the top spots of a city and the country lights candles, wears whites and mourn for about two and half weeks… well whatever is happening is actually too bad for something to be… but the common man is busy in his rat race thinking about how to survive in these tough times of recession… sorry i m being a bit off the topic but the war is not an isolated case… something or other is wrong everywhere… we can condemn everything and the next morning we’d join the rat race and get busy in surviving rather than thinking about what is happening and what should be done!
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Hemant Kamal from Perth, Australia- I do not know where to start it from, it is a huge issue going back to history and still their as a part of global worries. Taking the liberty to interpret your question to my intellect, I feel that the question you are asking is having many dimensions and attributes. Your question has a human cry in it where by you say that 700 persons have been killed in Gaza including women and children and it is already biased towards that their shall not be any human loss. Although any sort blood shed should be in-human but Nations are concerned above the Human loss it has been so and it would be.
I reckon it has been so with India and Pakistan, b/w China and Vietnam and the list goes on. Nations can live with peace forever but the people who benefit from these wars, whose interests are hindered might suffer huge set backs.
I personally think it is another historic British born trouble as they put oil on the burning grounds of Jerusalem and other developed countries later came on to show and manipulate their might in these territories. There has been number of issues with the Israel and the Arab backed Palestine Division of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the birth place of 3 historic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Arabs consider it their historic cite and want it under their possession whilst the city of Jerusalem is yet divided. The Arab want their ctrl over the whole area but in accordance to the UN resolution the land has been divided b/w Arab backed Palestine and the Jew inhabited Israel there has always been a war since this division between Israel and its neighbors Jordon, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. The PLO Palestine Liberation Organization was born when Arab nations did not recognize the Israel as nation after this UN resolution.
Their has been a lot of blood shed since then wars b/w PLO and Israel in 1947, 1964, 1982,1987 to name a few has recurred heavy civilian causalities since then. But yet its another balance of power strategy for the developed nations. Israel is being backed by USA, UK and allies being a sole Jewish state among Arab nations. It has been a huge task for Israel being in the centre of these nations. The war issue is an complex integration of religion, Balance of power and the domination of Arab in the area. If Israel fall the developed nations will loose its say in the region. Thus Israel has a huge backing by these nations. But as a general Arab notion there has been an international conspiracy against them to capture their land and they want their land back.
Now the issues are that Palestine want enough resources so that they could have balanced state with major water resources given to Israel. The issue is that either these nations keep on fighting or they find a solution. Their have been couple of peace processed to resolve the issues but it is now upon the main countries involved i.e. Israel and Palestine to see what they want for their nations. Do they want internationally supported war in which the funds and the weaponry provided kills anyone of them. Or they look forward to future for peace.
Though issue is between Israel and Palestine but I could not help myself discussing India-Pakistan. Ever since independence we are unable to find solution to our issue’s with each other. Major beneficial projects have been delayed beyond time Baglihar Dam in Kashmir is not their, Pakistan has issue with us on water distribution, we accuse Pakistan for terrorism, Iraq-Pak-Ind Gas pipeline is yet to be materialized and many more. The situation and circumstances are similar to some extent POK (Pak occupied Kashmir) is yet their. As a nation I see that India might capture it back but for what already it has been sanctioned some time back and in this might lead to some more worries.
But think a referendum in such cases could be brought upon and let the people voice make a choice. But does mass know their way or they follow the shown way is a debate for later. But if the mass awake, arise and sight it what is that could not be done. The people of Israel have to move and think beyond ego, religion and nationalities to rationalize a solution to their woes. Till now it might be their neighbor’s houses are burning sooner or later it might be their own. As academics and international intelligence suggest it could be a one nation or two nation solutions. I reckon it is only possible if the masses arise for peace.
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Sneakerologist from India- When it comes to war, I really don’t know what to make of it. These days people kill each other for little or no reason; and most of the time, there are a handful of people who bring misery on the rest.
These days, all I see in the newspaper are the pictures of little girls crying because they probably lost their parents in the Gaza-Israel war, and it breaks my heart, it really does…
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All comments are recorded by emails and scrap messages. The photos are not owned or copyrighted by OrkutHeroes.com. Its the screen shot display image/avatars of respective people.
This article is contributed by all 2 editors of OrkutHeroes Sahiba and Tara.
